Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard plans to play Game 4 of his team's first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers despite suffering an aggravation of a previous Achilles tendon injury.
Michael Scotto @MikeAScottoDame Lillard on his Achilles injury and if he'll play in Game 4: "That's the plan." <a href="">
Lillard said he suffered the ailment near the end of regulation during his team's 121-118 overtime loss to the Pacers but remained in the game and finished with 28 points and eight assists in 45 minutes. It occurred while he tried to defend an inbounds pass.
Jamal Collier @JamalCollierDamian Lillard said Pascal Siakam landed on his foot, which twisted his knee in the first quarter. He said he then aggravated an Achilles injury in the 4th quarter <br><br>He's hoping to get out ahead of the rehab/treatment process to get some explosiveness back for Game 4
"After the game Bucks head coach Doc Rivers clarified the injury to Lillard, saying it was actually the guard's Achilles tendon that was the issue. Lillard had aggravated the tendon in the team's regular season finale on April 14 in Orlando and contributed to him missing practices last week."
Rivers also offered more insight on Lillard in overtime post-injury.
Eric Nehm @eric_nehmDoc Rivers, on Damian Lillard: "I think it's his Achilles again, so we'll see."<br><br>Rivers: "Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, 'I'll be the decoy. I just can't go as far as explosion.' So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us."
Lillard, an eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA player, has posted 24.3 points and 7.0 assists this season.
Milwaukee added Lillard via trade in September from the Portland Trail Blazers following an 11-year career in town.
His presence marked a seismic shift in Milwaukee after the team lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs as a No. 1 seed.
Of note, the Bucks swapped Jrue Holiday for Lillard at the point and brought in Adrian Griffin as head coach for the fired Mike Budenholzer.
Lillard has fared well, making his eighth All-Star game this season. The team has arguably been a bit disappointing, though, as the Bucks were unable to seriously challenge the Boston Celtics to be the East's best regular season team. Rather, they found themselves in a fight just to finish second in the conference before landing third. Milwaukee notably made a big midseason change, too, replacing Griffin after just 43 games with Rivers.
But Lillard has done his part, serving as the team's No. 2 scoring option and running an offense that's improved from 12th to sixth in efficiency, per Basketball-Reference. The defense has taken a hit minus Holiday, a three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member, although that was to be expected with his departure.
Moving forward, though, this is a tough moment for the Bucks, who have been without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for the entire playoffs with a left calf strain. His status for Game 4 is unclear, but that matchup is up soon on Sunday.
If Lillard finds himself at less than 100 percent as well, then Indiana is at a huge advantage, already up 2-1 in the series.
