Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard left Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers after hurting his lower left leg in the first quarter. He did not return.
Lillard was helped off the floor and into the locker room after suffering the non-contact injury. There is fear that Lillard suffered a torn Achilles, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“They’re going to do an [MRI] tomorrow. Obviously, it’s lower leg,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the Pacers’ 129-103 win. “Just being honest, it’s not very promising.”
The seven-time all-NBA player was behind the 3-point line when the ball bounced toward him. Lillard used his left hand to tip the ball toward teammate Gary Trent Jr., then went down and grabbed the lower part of his left leg, around his ankle. He continued to sit on the floor as play resumed on the other end of the court.
After a foul stopped play, Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma helped Lillard up. Lillard then started limping and had to be helped off the court and into the locker room.
Lillard had missed the Bucks’ last 14 regular-season games and the first game of this series while dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was taken off blood-thinning medication and cleared to resume full basketball activities at the end of the regular season, and he returned to action for Game 2 of this series on Tuesday.
Deep vein thrombosis is an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.
“The guy tried to come back for his team. I just feel bad for him,” Rivers told reporters Sunday night. “This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this, it’s just tough.
“He’s just such a great freakin’ dude.”
The Pacers led 15-12 when Lillard exited and immediately went on a 10-3 run. The Bucks never really threatened after that as Indiana took a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Indianapolis.
“I’ve seen injuries deflate teams, but tonight, that one hurt,” Rivers said.
“My job over the next 40 hours or whatever we have is to get us upright again, try to win one game in Indiana,” he added. “But my brain right now is right where the same place the players are, and that’s thinking about Dame. That’s just the human part of this job.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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