INDIANAPOLIS – The Milwaukee Bucks entered Recreation 3 in opposition to the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse already brief handed with Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a left soleus (calf) muscle pressure and Khris Middleton hobbled by a sprained proper ankle – after which all-star level guard Damian Lillard went down in a heap, grabbing his left knee in apparent ache with 2 minutes, 13 seconds to go within the first quarter of the Bucks’ 121-118 extra time loss.
Lillard returned to complete the sport, enjoying 45 minutes.
“I laid the ball in and once I landed, when (Pascal Siakam) tried to dam me he landed on my foot and the way in which he landed on my foot it simply twisted my knee,” Lillard mentioned of the play. “It simply occurred so quick as I used to be touchdown. My foot was gonna do one factor and when all his weight got here down on my foot it sort of twisted me up. It was painful, initially, so I simply stayed down.”
He remained on the baseline as play continued on the opposite finish of the court docket earlier than Pat Connaughton dedicated a foul to cease play with Indiana up 29-16. Lillard mentioned the medical employees needed him to go proper to the locker room however he insisted on staying on the bench for a number of moments to see if loosened up, however he ultimately acquiesced to some testing within the locker room.
Antetokounmpo then went again to the locker room as nicely to examine on the purpose guard.
After spending the top of the primary quarter and the break between then and the beginning of the second within the locker room, the purpose guard walked out to the court docket and instructed head coach Doc Rivers he may examine again in, which he did on the 11:38 mark.
Lillard performed eight minutes from there, scoring 4 factors on 2-of-5 taking pictures earlier than the damage. He got here again and completed the primary half with 9 factors on 2-of-10 taking pictures. He was 5 for five from the free throw line.
“I felt prefer it was some discomfort, some soreness, however I didn’t suppose it was one thing I couldn’t play with,” he mentioned. “That was it.”
He mentioned he knew he’d be uncomfortable however didn’t really feel like he was placing himself in danger for a extra extreme damage.
Sadly for Lillard, he suffered a distinct damage with 9.3 seconds left regulation when he aggravated his proper Achilles tendon. Sooner or later in Indiana’s inbound play, which lasted till the 6.9-second mark, he was in discomfort.
That damage successfully rendered Lillard as an offensive decoy within the fourth quarter, as he performed all however 5 seconds of the extra time however didn’t try a shot. Although he instructed Doc Rivers he didn’t have any explosiveness for that extra time interval, he mentioned he hopes he can get a few of it again by Sunday’s Recreation 4.
“I imply, that’s the plan,” Lillard mentioned. “I believe tonight it as simply so recent, simply reaggravated after having a complete week to sort of get it collectively. However I simply needed to be on the ground in case one thing, a chance got here up or nevertheless I may assist. However clearly tonight we’ll should get again and simply get forward of it ‘trigger that’s not one thing that you really want o play it. It’s a kind of spots in your physique the place actually you possibly can’t do nothing about it. When you can’t transfer, you possibly can’t transfer. We obtained a pair days, tonight, to begin, to simply attempt to get forward of it.”
Lillard had aggravated the tendon within the group’s common season finale on April 14 in Orlando and contributed to him lacking practices final week.