Milwaukee star guard Damian Lillard will undergo an MRI exam on Monday after sustaining what could be an Achilles injury early in the Bucks’ 129-103 home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
“They’re going to do imaging tomorrow,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “Just being honest, it’s not very promising.”
Lillard was hurt while seeking a long offensive rebound and he fell to the floor while tapping the ball forward shortly before the midway point of the first quarter. He immediately grabbed for his lower left leg and was unable to get up.
Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez committed a foul with 5:57 left in the quarter to stop play and trainers then attended to Lillard. He eventually was helped off the court while keeping his left foot from touching the floor.
The Bucks formally ruled out Lillard early in the second quarter. He was scoreless in six minutes and missed both his shots. He collected two rebounds and two assists.
Lillard wore a boot and used crutches when he was seen leaving the arena.
“I heard the news about Dame,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tragic. I have such great respect for him. … It’s very somber news. Lots of prayers.”
Lillard, 34, just returned from having a blood clot in his right leg. He missed the final 14 games of the regular season and the first contest of this playoff series against the Pacers.
“This is a tough one,” Rivers said. “Blood clot followed by this. It’s just tough. … He’s such a great freaking dude. No one deserves this. That’s why I feel bad. I’ve seen injuries that are deflating. This one hurt.”
Bucks teammate Kevin Porter Jr. called Lillard “a warrior.”
“You don’t want to see one of your brothers go down,” Porter said. “Dame is one of the special ones. He’s very much needed and impactful in every way. Seeing him go down and not able to return and seeing his work from the injury he just came back from and now he has another journey. But he’s a warrior, though.”
Lillard averaged 10.5 points and shot just 24 percent (6 of 25) from the field in his first two appearances of this series. The Bucks trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and face elimination in Game 5 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
“You hate to see that happen, especially to a guy that went through a lot and giving it his all to come out here and play after a scary health issue,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “It’s well-documented the love I have for that guy. You hate to see that happen to anybody and I wish him the best moving forward.”
A nine-time All-Star, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 58 regular-season games.
–Field Level Media
