It is looking more and more like Damian Lillard’s season just came to a heartbreaking end.
The Milwaukee Bucks star barely made it a few minutes into Sunday night’s playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers before disaster struck. Lillard went down hard with what looked like a left lower leg injury during the Bucks’ brutal 129-103 loss. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, there is serious fear that Lillard tore his left Achilles, which would not only end his postseason but might sideline him well into next season too.
It all happened as Lillard was trying to pull down a rebound at the top of the key. He managed to tip the ball off to the corner before collapsing to the court in obvious pain, grabbing at his left ankle. He stayed down for a long time while the Pacers pushed the ball the other way. Eventually, Lillard was helped off the court without being able to put any weight on his left foot and was immediately sent to the locker room. The Bucks quickly ruled him out with what they called a lower leg injury, but the situation looks way more serious. Lillard is set for an MRI on Monday to determine exactly what is happening.
The timing could not be worse. This was only Lillard’s third game back after missing the final stretch of the regular season because of a blood clot in his right calf. Back in mid-March, Lillard was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis, a dangerous condition that landed him on blood-thinning meds. It was a scary situation, the same kind of thing that Victor Wembanyama dealt with earlier in the season, and many thought Lillard would be done for the year. But he fought his way back and suited up for Game 2 of the series.
In his return, Lillard looked pretty good with 14 points and seven assists. He struggled a bit in Game 3 but still managed to help the Bucks to a win. On Sunday, though, before he went down, he had just two assists, two rebounds, and missed both his shot attempts.
The 34-year-old had been averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in his second season with Milwaukee, and losing him now is a massive blow for the Bucks who are already down bad in this series.
Without Lillard, the Pacers ran away with it. Tyrese Haliburton stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds. Myles Turner dropped 23 points, and Andrew Nembhard added 20. All five Indiana starters hit double figures, and the team shot better than 60 percent from the field. It was not even close.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything he could for the Bucks, putting up 28 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists. He was the only starter who even got to double digits. Kevin Porter Jr. came off the bench and added 23 points, and Bobby Portis chipped in 14, but it was nowhere near enough.
Now, with Milwaukee trailing 3-1 and their star guard facing what could be a devastating injury, the road ahead looks really bleak.