The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a huge blow as Damian Lillard picked up an injury which could end their championship dreams. The team entered the third game of the playoff series with hope of repeating their Game 1 performance against the Pacers, but it got crushed in the final minutes of the first quarter when the Bucks guard got injured.
While talking about Lillard’s injury, Bucks HC Doc Rivers feared “it’s his Achilles again”, which made him suffer in the regular season. As per Chris B. Haynes of TNT, the Bucks star is doubtful for the fourth game of the series. The Bucks might have to manage without their stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has missed the playoff tournament.
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard suffered a Grade 1 Achilles strain and is doubtful for Game 4 at Indiana on Sunday, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/J51fl0B73t
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 27, 2024
When Lillard attempted a layup in the final minutes to add some more points in the opening quarter, Pacers’ Pascal Siakam unintentionally tapped his foot while trying to block him. Unable to bare the pain in his knee, Lillard hobbled to the bench and later went to the locker room for a quick examination.
Although he came back to the floor, he wasn’t able to save the game as the Bucks suffered a 118-121 defeat. However, Lillard performed extremely well even with his injury like he did in this postseason tournament.
Damian Lillard’s contribution so far in play-off series
Damian Lillard played his role well in the playoff series as the team’s offensive leader in the absence of Giannis. The Bucks opened the series with a 109-94 win when the 33-year-old scored a massive 35 points in the first half. Despite Dame Time not scoring a single point in the other half, his initial contribution was enough to secure the victory. The 8-time All-Star finished with 6 rebounds and 3 assists in that game.
Lillard showed the same fire in Game 2, adding 34-4-5 to the Bucks’ scoreboard, but their lack of discipline cost them a 108-125 loss at the Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, as Rivers claimed. The guard succeeded in converting 6 of his 13 shots from the deep into buckets and additionally hit 8 free throws.
Playing for 45 minutes in Game 3, Lillard chipped in 28 points, 8 assists and a rebound. He attempted 12 shots from behind the 3-point range but 8 of them refused to hit the target and shot 12 accurate free throws. Despite trying hard, he couldn’t snatch the win on the road.
Now that Damian Lillard’s participation in Game 4 looks uncertain, the Bucks need to pull up their socks and produce more to catch up with the Pacers, who are already up by 2-1.
