NBA injury report: Are Giannis and Damian Lillard playing in Game 4 vs. the Pacers?

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It couldn’t have gone much worse for the Milwaukee Bucks on April 27.

After suffering a 129-103 loss to the Pacers in Game 4 at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks will head to Indiana facing elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third straight season.

And Milwaukee will be without star guard Damian Lillard, who suffered a likely catastrophic injury in the first half of Game 3.

BOX SCORE: Pacers 129, Bucks 103

There isn’t much time for Bucks head coach Doc Rivers to ponder season-saving solutions. Game 4 is at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 29.

The Bucks played without Lillard when he had a blood clot that kept him out a month before returning for Game 2 of this series.

“My job over the next 40 hours or whatever we have is to get us upright again,” Rivers said. “Try to win one game in Indiana and get back here (for Game 6).

“But my brain right now is at the same place the players are, and that’s thinking about Dame. That’s just the human part of this job. That’s really no fun. It really isn’t. It’s just a tough one.”

Kevin Porter Jr. provides some hope

If there was any bright spot for the Bucks, it was the play of backup guard Kevin Porter Jr.

Lillard left the game with just under six minutes left in the first quarter with a non-contact leg injury. Porter was thrust into a larger role and finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds.

“This business is a business of the next-man-up,” Porter said. “Things happen. You got to look at what you got and figure it out.

“Him being out the games that he was out, I had to take a bigger role. Soon as that play happened, I already knew I had to step up. I had to elevate everything. That’s what I tried to do. Give a lot of energy in any way I can. Keep the team high-spirited.”

Rivers has already tweaked the starting lineup once in this series, inserting Gary Trent Jr. for Taurean Prince in Game 3. Now somebody – either Porter Jr. or Ryan Rollins – will have to take over for Lillard.

Rivers also made a switch to start the second half of Game 4, putting Bobby Portis Jr. in Brook Lopez’s place at center.

“Just the speed,” Rivers said. “We didn’t get much out of it, honestly. Although I did like it, but we didn’t much out of anything, honestly.

“This is one I have to go look at and see how we can make some hay.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo carrying a heavy burden

Giannis Antetokounmpo came into the game averaging 35.7 points and 14 rebounds per game in the series.

He struggled in the first half with eight points on 3-for-10 shooting. But he still finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six rebounds.

It will be hard to ask much more of Antetokounmpo than what he’s already given in this series.

“We’re resilient people,” Rivers said. “We all are. The whole world is, and we’re going to have to show that.

“We got an amazing player in Giannis, and we’re going to play around him. And we got to adapt the system around him.

“Everything is singular. One game. One game. That’s got to be our thought. One game. Win the next game. We got to figure that out.”

Antetokounmpo didn’t want to put too much emotion on Game 5.

“I’m going to do the same thing that I’ve been doing my whole career,” Antetokounmpo said. “Taking care of my body, prepping my body, prepping myself mentally and go out there to try to play basketball.

“I don’t try to seek resilence or extra motivation or anything. There’s no emotion or extra juice. I’m juiced up. I don’t need no extra juice, man. I kind of need to get rid of some juice that I have.”

Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton lead Pacers

The short-handed Bucks couldn’t keep up with the go-go Pacers, who were led by Tyrese Haliburton (17 points and 15 assists) and Myles Turner (23 points).

The Pacers shot a scorching 50 for 83 (60.2%), including 18 of 39 (46.2%) on three-pointers.

“We just got to stay true to our identity,” Porter said. “We’re a physical team.

“When we play defense and attack them … when they’re trying to drive and we’re attacking the ball, it’s night and day for us. We just got to keep believing in who we are. Look, if any team can come back from 3-1, it’s this team. We all believe in that. This is definitely far from over.”

Without Lillard that will be very challenging, but there is another game to play for the Bucks.

“It’s about making sure we understand where we are at right now,” Bucks guard Pat Connaughton said. “When you wake up tomorrow, when you put your head on the pillow and wake up tomorrow, tonight is over.

“Our thoughts will still be with our teammate and we’ll still obviously be there for Dame to whatever extent the injury is. When it comes to on the court, we got to make sure we’re getting ready for Tuesday. We got to make sure we’re putting tonight behind us.”

Five numbers

1: Shot by Gary Trent Jr. in the first quarter – a missed three-pointer – after scoring 37 points in Game 3

12: Technical fouls called on the Bucks and Pacers so far through four games after five were called on Sunday night. The teams combined for 13 technical fouls in their six-game first round series last year.

2: Games this season in which neither Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard appeared on the injury report for the Bucks. Those were Games 2 and 3 of the series with the Pacers. Lillard was hurt in Game 4.

1,000: Antetokounmpo went over 1,000 career playoff rebounds during Game 4

28: Antetokounmpo’s 28 points ended his streak of three straight games in the series with 30 or more points.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes. He has not appeared on the injury report in the series.

Is Damian Lillard playing?

Yes. Since returning in Game 2 from a blood clot, Lillard has not appeared on the injury report.

What time is the Bucks game?

It will be a late tip with Game 4 will tip off at 8:30 p.m.

What channel is the Bucks game on?

Game 4 will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks. The game also will be broadcast nationally on TNT. Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, Stephanie Ready will be on the call.

Bucks injury report

• Tyler Smith, out (left ankle sprain)

Bucks starting lineup

• Guards: Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr.
• Forwards: Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs. Pacers odds, over/under

Milwaukee is a 3.5-point favorite over Indiana in Game 4, and the over/under is set at 227.5 points per BetMGM.

Bucks vs. Pacers first-round series schedule

• Game 4: Sunday, April 27 at Milwaukee – 8:30 p.m. CT
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 at Indiana – 5 p.m. CT
• Game 6*: Friday, May 2 at Milwaukee – TBD
• Game 7*: Sunday, May 4 at Indiana – TBD* – If necessary

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