Blake Griffin, left, is about to slap hands with teammate Chris Paul after Paul sank a 3-pointer in the Clippers’ 115-95 victory over Portland on Sunday night at Staples Center/AP photo by Jae C. Hong

Blake Griffin is coming off his best game since returning to the Clippers on April 3 following a 45-game absence. He scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had six assists in the Clippers’ 115-95 victory over Portland on Sunday at Staples Center in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Griffin played nearly 32 minutes. In the five regular-season games he played upon his return, his longest stint was 25. Considering his left quad tendon is still not completely healed, one had to wonder how he felt the next day. Griffin on Tuesday gave reporters a glowing report.

“I actually felt better the day after we played than the day of the game, so (it’s) encouraging that I haven’t had any problems, any setbacks,” he said.

Griffin said he was “a little bit” surprised by that. But not all that much.

“Our training staff and everybody involved has done a great job,” Griffin said. “It’s like an all-day, everyday thing. They put me in a position to be able to play, so it’s a credit to kind of everybody that’s had a hand in it.”

Game 2 is Wednesday night at 7:30 at Staples Center.