Injured Clippers regulars Griffin and Teodosic sit out against the Atlanta Hawks

Blake Griffin and Milos Teodosic are improving, but neither played for the Clippers on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks and their status remained uncertain for games this week at Golden State and Sacramento.

Griffin is sidelined because of a concussion and Teodosic because of a plantar fasciitis injury to his left foot.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said that Griffin, who was injured in Saturday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, passed a few concussion protocol tests and rode a stationary bike Monday at the team’s practice facility.

But Griffin hasn’t been cleared to play.

“You have to go through the entire protocol,” Rivers said. “I think he has a couple more to pass, so we just have to wait.”

Teodosic sat out the last two games but said he was making progress.

“I feel better,” he said. “I’m again out for a couple of more games. I need to see what they say. But one of these two games I hope.”

Teodosic sat out 22 games earlier in the season because of the injury.

He said the Clippers’ medical staff told him at the time that the injury might flare up again.

“That’s how they explained it to me, it’s always an issue with the injury,” Teodosic said. “They said the next couple of weeks I’m going to feel some small pain.”

Rivers defends Luke Walton

Rivers was the latest coach to stick up for Lakers coach Luke Walton in the wake of criticism from LaVar Ball, father of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball.

“I just think it’s awful,” said of LaVar Ball’s comments. “I’m not going to go deeper on that because I’m not with them or in there. But I am a coach and I just think it’s awful.”

Rivers said he supported Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who ripped ESPN for giving the elder Ball a platform.

“I think it’s great what Rick Carlisle said,” Rivers said. “I just think we’re the easy targets all the time. It’s good to have someone fighting for us. I thought what Rick said was terrific. It’s just tough. It’s the world we’re in and we’ve all made it. It is what it is and we all deal with it. But listen, I just think stuff like that is going to keep happening. We know that. I just hope we handle it better.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner