Damian Lillard’s season may now be over.
The Milwaukee Bucks star went down with a left lower leg injury just minutes into the team’s 129-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, which dropped them into a 3-1 hole in their opening-round playoff series. Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, is feared to have torn his left Achilles — which would knock him out for the rest of the season and lhe start of next year, too.
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Lillard stumbled while trying to grab a rebound at the top of the key, though he managed to tip it off to the corner before he crashed down to the court. As Lillard fell, though, he immediately reached for his left ankle, clearly in a lot of pain.
Damian Lillard had to be helped off the court with a lower leg injury early on Sunday night. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Stacy Revere via Getty Images)
He remained down on the floor for quite some time as play went the other way, and he was eventually helped up and off the court without putting any weight on his left foot. Lillard went straight to the locker room and was quickly ruled out with what the Bucks initially described as a lower leg injury.
Further specifics of his injury are not yet known. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
“I felt bad for him. The guy tried to come back for his team … I just felt bad for him.”
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Lillard’s injury came in just his third game back from a blood clot in his other leg, which kept him out for the final stretch of the regular season. Lillard was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis in his right calf in mid-March, which many expected would knock him out for the remainder of the season. It was the same condition San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was dealing with in his right shoulder. Lillard was placed on blood-thinning medication that stabilized the clot.
But remarkably, Lillard was cleared to return for Game 2 of this series. He had 14 points and seven assists in his return, and then he had seven points and five assists in what was a rough shooting night in Milwaukee’s Game 3 win Friday.
“It’s just tough. That’s why you have teammates and family around him,” Rivers said on TNT. “He’s just such a great freaking dude, on a basketball level but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff. … It’s just tough.”
Lillard had two assists and two rebounds, and was 0-of-2 from the field when he went down Sunday. The 34-year-old averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game this season, his second with the Bucks.
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The Pacers, who entered Sunday night with a 2-1 lead in the series, led the entire way and cruised to the dominant 26-point win Sunday without Lillard around to help the Bucks. Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 17 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds. Myles Turner added 23 points, and Andrew Nembhard finished with 20 points. All five of Indiana’s starters hit double figures, and the team shot just better than 60% from the field.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He was the only Bucks starter to hit double figures. Kevin Porter Jr. added 23 points and six assists off the bench, and Bobby Porter finished with 14 points.
“I’ve seen injuries deflate teams, but tonight that one hurt,” Rivers said.
Game 5 of the series is set for 6 p.m. ET Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
