Clippers’ Blake Griffin appears to be on track for return from surgery

Clippers forward Blake Griffin has started to increase his workload as he prepares to return from right-knee surgery.

Before the Clippers played the Lakers on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center, Griffin participated in sprinting and shooting drills that took him all around the court.

The Clippers said Griffin has had three of these workouts since starting them Thursday.

After Griffin had his procedure on Dec. 20, the Clippers said Griffin was expected to return at the end of January.

Johnson improving

Brice Johnson took a pass and easily rose up for a two-handed dunk, hanging on the rim for emphasis.

Johnson has been out the entire season because of a herniated disc in his lower back, but the Clippers rookie is making progress with the hopes of playing before the season is over.

On Friday, he took part in his first scrimmage with the Clippers since training camp in October.

His back isn’t completely healthy, but the 6-10 forward likes how things are going.

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Lakers forward Julius Randle drives against Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute during the first half Saturday afternoon at Staples Center.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers center DeAndre Jordan dunks the ball over Lakers guard Jose Calderon during the first half.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Lakers guard Nick Young drives to the basket against Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute during the third quarter.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Lakers defenders Brandon Ingram and Tarik Black challenge a shot by Clippers guard Jamal Crawford during the first half.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Lakers guards Jordan Clarkson, left, and Nick Young defend against Clippers guard Chris Paul in the fourth quarter at Staples Center.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers center DeAndre Jordan saves a loose ball from going out of bounds against the Lakers in the third quarter at Staples Center.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers guard Austin Rivers drives down the lane for a layup against Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell during the first half of Saturday’s game.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Clippers center DeAndre Jordan puts down a dunk against the Lakers during the first half.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Lakers guard Nick Young drives to the basket against Clippers defenders DeAndre Jordan (6) and Luc Mbah a Moute during the first half.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Lakers forward Julius Randle gets tangled up with Clippers center DeAndre Jordan as they battle for a rebound during the first half on Jan. 14.

  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

“I’d say (the back is) about 90%,” Johnson said. “I still have a little discomfort moving certain ways, but I think it’s more of me (where I) just got to get back in shape more than anything else. It’s not pain in my back. It’s more of I’ve just got to get back in shape. That’s what hurts the most right now.”

Johnson said he has been doing some one-on-one work every day.

“I guess they don’t want me to do too much,” Johnson said. “They just want to see what I can do and see how I recover from it. I think that’s the biggest thing right now, see how I recover from it, see if I have any pain afterward, see if anything flares up again.”

Chargers booed

When the Clippers showed the Chargers’ logo on their Jumbotron, the fans booed, and the fans booed Chargers tight end Jeff Cumberland when he was shown.

Rivers said his best advice to the Chargers, who relocated here for the start of next season, would be to “win” in a town that has the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, major-league baseball’s Dodgers and Angels, the NHL’s Kings and Ducks, and now the NFL’s Rams and Chargers.

“You never want anybody to leave a city. But this is a big city and I think we can handle it,” Rivers said. “It’s enough room for two basketball teams, and we have a lot of Clippers fans and there’s a lot of Lakers fans. There are two soccer teams. There’s two football teams. I guess there are two baseball teams, even though they (the Angels) are not in L.A. There’s enough room.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

@BA_Turner