While Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers is ongoing as of this writing, the team will have to head forward tonight (at least) without Damian Lillard on the court. With a few minutes left in the first quarter, Lillard went down with a non-contact injury grabbing at his left calf after a quick direction change going after a loose ball rebound. He was able to tap the ball to Gary Trent Jr., but couldn’t get up while play continued before the Bucks were able to foul.
Per Chris Haynes, Lillard is definitely out for the rest of Game 4. Naturally, it gets worse: the injury could potentially be a torn Achilles:
The first note is that of condolence to Lillard; he was only able to suit up in the first place thanks to a borderline miraculous turnaround from a late-season DVT diagnosis—in his right calf, it should be noted, so not the one he injured tonight. It is a credit to his competitive spirit and the team’s medical staff that he was able to get back to the floor after picking up a condition that could easily have ended his season before the playoffs even began.
Second, in the short-term any absence of Lillard’s will put the Bucks in an unenviable on-court position by necessity. Kevin Porter Jr. has not showed as much on the offensive end as you would have hoped to help pick up some of the slack, and the list of viable ball handlers past him is slim. While Lillard had not put together big box score numbers in his three appearances, his gravity opened up opportunities for others. Doc Rivers & Co. will need to find a way to thread the needle without that extra space on the offensive end of the floor.
As for what it means long-term? Your guess is as good as mine until we get an official diagnosis and announcement from the team. If it is indeed verified as a torn Achilles, the road back is difficult, to put it very mildly. We can tackle the implications on what it means for him and the organization once we have a clear idea of what, exactly, happened.
For now, the Bucks will have to battle on without their star guard once again in this playoff series and likely for an indefinite period of time beyond that, too.
We’ll continue to post updated stories with the latest as we have it
