Blake Griffin needed help recalling the moment. It was late in Saturday’s Game 3 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks when Griffin collided with an opposing player and came up limping. All thoughts went to the sore left knee that prevented Griffin from playing the first two games of the best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey admitted after the game his heart jumped. Griffin calmed fears Sunday when he was an active participant in the team’s light practice at Little Caesars Arena. Griffin said he rolled his ankle a little bit, but said his knee felt fine. He’s listed as probable for Monday night’s Game 4, when the Pistons will try to prevent the sweep and avoid the dubious distinction of 14 consecutive playoff game losses, which would set an NBA record. [ Andre Drummond booed by Pistons fans. Did he deserve it? It's complicated ] That Griffin was able to return to the floor after 10 days off is a credit to the medical staff. It appeared doubtful that the Pistons All-Star would return to play in front of an appreciative crowd at LCA. Griffin said he was pushing the medical staff to allow him to return. The Pistons said there was no structural damage, meaning nothing was torn. Dr. Alexis Colvin, orthopedic surgeon at New York-based Mount Sinai Hospital, told the Free Press last week the team's medical staff was probably being cautious to protect the knee — and other areas of the body. “Let’s say he had an MRI and everything is fine, nothing is torn or anything like that,” Colvin said. “If it is sore, that could lead to maybe not putting as much weight on it. You kind of favor the other side more and that could lead to imbalances in the way that you’re performing and that could lead to other injuries. “You are protecting the knee that’s bothering him and also preventing injuries in the other parts of the body as well. “That’s probably what they were trying to avoid.” Griffin wore a brace to protect the knee and played well, leading the Pistons with 27 points on 10-for-24 shooting. He added seven rebounds and six assists. It didn’t prevent the 119-103 loss. “Last night was a pretty good example of the type of team Milwaukee is,” Griffin said. “Not only do they have weapons, but they use their weapons really well and they’ve designed a team that ream complements each other and Giannis (Antetokounmpo).” It would be fair to question whether playing him is worth it for Griffin and the Pistons, considering his lengthy injury history. But the Pistons are trying to end this season with a good effort. And Griffin wants to be there for his teammates. “The message is about pride,” Casey said. “There’s a lot of things we did that we can correct – whether it’s offensive rebounding, understand what we’re doing on pick-and-roll defenses. “Those are things we can correct.” [ Bucks’ dominance of the Pistons centers on battle of the big men ] Follow Vince Ellis on Twitter @vincent_ellis56. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.<doc-sep>Brian Sevald/Getty Images Detroit Pistons power forward Blake Griffin is listed as active for Game 3 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Griffin missed the first two games of the series with left knee soreness, and the Pistons find themselves in a 2-0 hole. With the series going to Detroit for Game 3, the Pistons will receive a major boost on their home floor with their best player returning. Griffin averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists during the regular season for the 41-41 Pistons, who earned the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff seed. The 30-year-old, who earned his sixth All-Star appearance, shot 46.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep. Griffin has suffered numerous injuries throughout his pro career. A bone bruise in his right ankle, a staph infection in his right elbow, a partially torn left quad, a right-hand injury, right knee surgery and an MCL sprain hindered him between 2014 and 2018, forcing him off the court for a combined 107 games. Video Play Button Videos you might like Griffin can be an offensive force when healthy, though, and his mere presence will give the Pistons a much better shot at lessening the series deficit to 2-1 against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Saturday. If Griffin remains somewhat limited by his knee injury, Thon Maker could continue to see significant playing time in Game 3, along with starting center Andre Drummond.<doc-sep>In a 2-0 hole in their first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons will receive a much-needed jolt in Game 3 as the series shifts to the Motor City. Griffin, who has been out since the second-to-last game of the regular season with a left knee injury, will be active on Saturday and start. Griffin is starting tonight, as well as Kennard. — James Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) April 20, 2019 Griffin warmed up prior to Saturday’s game, with his left knee wrapped. #Pistons Blake Griffin is warming up in pregame, so there's that... pic.twitter.com/XANxoVlCvG — Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) April 20, 2019 Milwaukee, the No. 1 seed in the East, handled Detroit easily in each of the first two games, winning by 35 and 21 points, respectively. A league source told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill earlier this week that there was a “slim chance” Griffin would play this weekend. Griffin’s late-season injury was an unfortunate blow for a Pistons team that needs to be healthy if it has any shot at upsetting the Bucks in their second playoff appearance in a decade. Griffin is their top player, coming off an All-Star regular season campaign in which he averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Griffin said after a 121-86 loss in Game 1 that he would have played, if it was his call. “If it was pain, I would easily play with pain,” Griffin said to the Detroit Free Press. “If it was just my decision, I would have played.” It appears that, with his team on the ropes, Griffin is ready to suit up and try to get the Pistons back in this series. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>
Dwane Casey is finally weary of Blake Griffin questions. The Detroit Pistons coach has dutifully given medical updates for a week on Griffin, who remains questionable to return to the lineup for Game 3 Saturday night for the first professional playoff game at Little Caesar Arena. After Friday’s practice at LCA – also a first – Casey repeated his same answer when asked about Griffin’s sore left knee. “Day-to-day, day-to-day, I’m not talking about Blake,” Casey said. The Pistons trail the Milwaukee Bucks, 2-0, in the best-of-seven first-round series with Game 4 coming Monday night at LCA. Griffin missed the first two games of the series. The Bucks have dominated the first two games and if the Pistons lose another game, it would be fair to question the wisdom of playing Griffin facing such an insurmountable deficit. Griffin hurt his knee toward the end of the season and took himself out of the lineup after warmups before the Pistons’ 99-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 30. The power forward missed the next two games before returning to score 45 points at Oklahoma City in a road loss on April 5. He struggled the next two games, scoring five points in 18 minutes in a win over Memphis. He didn't play against the New York Knicks in the regular-season finale. Griffin told reporters after the Pistons' Game 1 loss in Milwaukee he wanted to play but it wasn't his decision. “If it was pain, I would easily play with pain,” Griffin said following the Pistons’ 121-86 loss at Fiserv Forum. “If it was just my decision, I would have played.” Griffin averages 24.5 points per game and is the No. 1 option on offense for the Pistons. The Pistons are 2-7 without Griffin this season. Follow Vince Ellis on Twitter @vincent_ellis56. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.