Pistons keep Griffin to list over sore knee

Blake Griffin's sore left knee remains bothersome enough to keep the Detroit Pistons forward listed as day-to-day heading into Saturday's playoff opener against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Griffin did not play Wednesday at New York even with a playoff spot on the line. The Pistons were able to roll past the lowly Knicks anyway and grab the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Griffin's knee issues go back further than that. He took himself out of Tuesday's 100-93 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, playing just 18 minutes. A heavy underdog heading into the first round, the Pistons will need a productive Griffin to have any chance at upsetting the Bucks. Griffin averaged a career-best 24.5 points per game in his first full season in Detroit. He also had 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.

The Pistons finished the regular season with a 41-41 record but had lost four consecutive games and seven of nine before winning their last two.