INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has a strained proper Achilles tendon, sources confirmed to ESPN, placing his availability for Sport 4 of the staff’s first-round sequence in opposition to the Indian Pacers in jeopardy.
Lillard was sporting a strolling boot following the staff’s movie session on Saturday afternoon after agitating the harm close to the tip of the fourth quarter in Sport 3 on Friday evening. Lillard was grabbing at his leg after a foul on Aaron Nesmith with 6.2 seconds remaining in regulation. He stayed on the ground as Sport 3 went into time beyond regulation, however he went scoreless and didn’t try a shot.
Lillard’s Achilles has been bothering him for just a few weeks. He revealed he had been feeling some discomfort following Milwaukee’s regular-season finale in Orlando after which sat out the primary few days of apply earlier than the beginning of the playoffs with a purpose to get better, a break Lillard mentioned helped him really feel recent coming into the sequence.
After he agitated the harm close to the tip of the fourth quarter, his coach Doc Rivers mentioned Lillard served principally as a decoy throughout time beyond regulation.
The Athletic was first to report the extent of Lillard’s harm.
The Bucks path the Pacers 2-1 within the sequence. Sport 4 is on Sunday evening. The Bucks are actually dealing with the prospects of making an attempt to beat the sequence deficit with out Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has not performed on this sequence with a calf pressure.
Antetokounmpo took a scheduled off-day on Saturday, however Rivers mentioned Antetokounmpo expects to be on the court docket once more on Sunday morning forward of Sport 4.
“He is understanding [Sunday], going to go arduous, early after which we’ll decide,” Rivers mentioned Saturday afternoon.
May Antetokounmpo exercise within the morning and really feel adequate to play in Sport 4?
“I doubt it,” Rivers mentioned. “However we’ll see”
