Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin's streak of 197 consecutive games ended Monday night against the Washington Wizards when the forward strained his left hamstring.
"We were walking out (to the court), and he was walking in," coach Vinny Del Negro said.
Del Negro added that sitting Griffin was being smart while thinking of the "big picture." He declined to speculate when Griffin would return.
"We'll see how he feels tomorrow," Del Negro said.
Griffin, who who leads the Clippers in scoring and rebounding with 18.5 points and 8.6 boards per game, had started every game since he essentially became an NBA player at the start of the 2010 season, having sat out in 2009-10 with a knee injury after he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Clippers.
His streak of consecutive games played was tied for second with Houston Rockets center Omer Asik among active players. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook played in his 360th straight game Monday night.
Lamar Odom started in Griffin's place, and had three points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
The Clippers also were without point guard Chris Paul, who missed his eighth consecutive game with a bruised right kneecap.
They continue their road trip against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, and it's unclear whether or not Griffin will be available to suit up.
