LOS ANGELES – The L.A. Clippers are returning home for a pivotal Game 5 in their first-round series against the Utah Jazz. Following both the loss of Blake Griffin due to a season ending toe injury and the return of Rudy Gobert from a knee injury, it seemed like the turned in the Jazz's favor as they won Game 4 to tie the series up at 2-2 heading into Tuesday's game back in Los Angeles.

While the Clippers will be without Griffin for the rest of the postseason, it looks like they'll be getting a key piece of their team back. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Clippers' guard Austin Rivers is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday night.

Rivers has missed the last 10 games, six in the regular season and four in the postseason, with a left hamstring strain suffered against the Washington Wizards on March 29th. The team ruled Rivers out for the remainder of the regular season. Before the start of the playoff series, Rivers indicated that he planned to return somewhere between Games 3 and 5; thankfully, L.A. played Games 1 and 2 in a span of six days, allowing Rivers ample time to recover and get back on the court.

Before Game 1 of the series, Rivers expressed his wanting to return, but also did not want to rush from such a delicate injury.

“I'm trying not to [rush back], but everything is going against that,” said Rivers. “I want to come back right now. I keep telling them ‘I'm good! Can I shoot? Can I do a workout,' and they keep saying, ‘You can't do that.'

“I've got people who are just thinking of me who are saying, “Take your time,” but I'm like, ‘Man its easy for people on the outside to say that. It's the playoffs! This is the most fun time to play as a player, this is where all the real players are playing, at this time of the year and that's where I wanna be at.”

Rivers put up career-highs across the board with averages of 12 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on 44.2% shooting from the field and 37% from beyond the three-point arc. In four games against the Jazz, he put up 15 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 56.8% shooting from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Needless to say, the Clippers could really use Rivers and his style of play without Griffin.