Clippers’ Jamal Crawford on calf injury: ‘It’s a slow process’

Jamal Crawford, dressed in street clothes, was taken away from the Clippers’ locker room on a cart after the team’s 89-76 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

The reigning sixth man of the year had just missed his third straight game because of a right calf bruise, which he sustained in a game against the Timberwolves on March 2.

There is no timetable for Crawford’s return.

“I’m OK,” Crawford told The Times following Monday’s game. “It’s a slow process.”

Crawford said he has had to stay off his feet since suffering the injury.

“It’s just a day-by-day thing, so hopefully each day just gets a little bit better,” he said.

Crawford said this calf injury was different than the one he sustained last year because it was caused by contact.

“Non-contact is always a little scarier,” he said, “but this one is taking a little while.”

This season, Crawford is averaging 16.4 points in 26.9 minutes off the bench for the Clippers, who are in fifth place in the Western Conference.

The Clippers have also not given a timetable for Blake Griffin’s return, though before Monday’s game, Coach Doc Rivers estimated that Griffin would be out one more week.

Griffin has missed 13 games after undergoing surgery Feb. 9 to remove a staph infection from his right elbow. The Clippers are 8-5 without him.

“There’s no timetable for Jamal at all,” Rivers said. “Blake, there really isn’t either. We’re assuming a week maybe. I don’t know. But I think he’s closer than Jamal. But there is no timetable.”

Griffin is the Clippers’ leading scorer, averaging 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game. Crawford is the team’s third-leading scorer.

“When you have that many points out of your offense, you’re concerned about it, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Rivers said.