The injuries keep on coming for the Bucks.
If being without Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't enough, Khris Middleton suffered an ankle injury in Game 2 and Damian Lillard strained his Achilles in Game 3, putting his status for a crucial Game 4 in doubt.
Lillard led Milwaukee to a Game 1 victory with 35 points. He scored 34 points in Game 2, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Pacers from stealing home-court advantage. Tyrese Haliburton then led Indy to a Game 3 overtime win to take a 2-1 series lead.
How long will the Bucks be without Lillard? Here's everything you need to know about his injury.
MORE: Complete list of winners for NBA's end-of-season awards
What happened to Damian Lillard?
Lillard is dealing with a strained right Achilles, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Lillard's right Achilles has reportedly been bothering him for a few weeks. He aggravated the injury late in the fourth quarter of Milwaukee's Game 3 loss.
Here is a video of Lillard's injury:
After the game, Damian Lillard clarified that his Achilles aggravation occurred on this play at the end of regulation and not on the foul by Pascal Siakam in the first quarter.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 27, 2024
(You can see Lillard wince as he goes to pick up Patrick Beverley.) pic.twitter.com/M4nnU43Nqa
Lillard played all but five seconds of the overtime period, but he did not attempt a shot. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said that Lillard told him he "just can't go as far as explosion" and would be a decoy, per The Athletic's Eric Nehm.
How long is Damian Lillard out?
Lillard has been ruled out for Game 4 against the Pacers at 7 p.m. ET Sunday with a Grade 1 Achilles strain. He's reportedly in a walking boot.
Milwaukee Bucks say Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (Achilles) are out for tonight’s game at Indiana.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 28, 2024
“I think tonight it was just so fresh, reaggravating it after having a whole week to get it together, but I just wanted to be on the floor in case opportunity came up or however I could help," Lillard said about the injury after Game 3. "Obviously, tonight we’re gonna get back and just have to get ahead of it because that’s not something that you want to play with.
"It’s one of those spots on your body where you literally can’t, you can’t do nothing about it. If you can’t move, you can’t move. So we have a couple of days tonight to start to just try to get ahead of it, just get it feeling better and get ready for Sunday.”
Through three games, Lillard is averaging 32.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds on .415/.444/.964 shooting splits in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Lillard appeared in 73 of a possible 82 games during the regular season.
Bucks vs. Pacers schedule, TV channels
| Date | Game/Results | Time (ET)/Result | TV channel |
| April 21 | Bucks 109, Pacers 94 | 7 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
| April 23 | Pacers 125, Bucks 108 | 8:30 p.m. | NBA TV, Sling |
| April 26 | Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT) | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN, Sling |
| April 28 | Game 4 | 7 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
| April 30 | Game 5 | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Game 6* | TBD | TBD |
| May 4 | Game 7* | TBD | TBD |
* If necessary
Damian Lillard stats 2023-24
- 24.3 points per game
- 7.0 assists per game
- 4.4 rebounds per game
- 1.0 steals per game
- 0.2 blocks per game
- 2.6 turnovers per game
- 42.4 percent field goal shooting
- 35.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 92.0 percent free throw shooting
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