Milwaukee Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is wearing walking boots after suffering a strained Achilles tendon, league sources said Saturday. His availability for Sunday’s Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers is in serious doubt.
Lillard aggravated the injury in Game 3, which the Bucks lost in overtime to fall 2-1 in their first-round series. In overtime, Lillard – who scored 28 points on 6-of-20 shooting – didn’t take a single shot.
After the game, Lillard told reporters that his Achilles had been hurting since the Bucks’ regular-season finale.
“I just wanted to be on the court in case an opportunity presented itself or like I could help,” Lillard said of playing through pain in overtime.
“We’re going to come back and we just have to get ahead of it because it’s not something you want to mess with,” he continued. “It’s one of those places on your body where you literally can’t, there’s nothing you can do about it. If you can’t move, you can’t move. We have a few days to start and try to get a head start. Feel better and get ready for Sunday.
The injury bug has bitten the Bucks hard in recent weeks, as two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since April 9 due to a nagging calf injury. Countryman Khris Middleton’s status is questionable after suffering an ankle injury in Game 2, but he totaled 42 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in the Game 3 loss.
Rivers said Saturday that Antetokounmpo would practice Sunday before the team decides his availability. When asked if it was possible Antetokounmpo would practice and play on Sunday, Rivers said, “I doubt it, but we’ll see.”
Lillard, 33, shined in the Bucks’ first two games of the series, tallying 69 total points and making six 3-pointers in each game. In the first half of Game 3, Lillard appeared to injure his knee after a collision with Pacers forward Pascal Siakam.
Required reading
(Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)