Doc Rivers shared a concerning quote regarding Damian Lillard’s injury.
Lillard aggravated an Achilles’ tendon injury at the end of regulation during his Milwaukee Bucks’ 121-118 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. That came after Lillard had already appeared to hurt his knee earlier in the game.
Lillard played in the overtime but didn’t even attempt a shot for his Bucks.
After the defeat, Milwaukee head coach Rivers said that Lillard was “really struggling” and just a decoy in OT.
“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,” Rivers said after the game.
Doc Rivers, on Damian Lillard: "I think it's his Achilles again, so we'll see."
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."
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 27, 2024
Though Rivers didn’t exactly give the most encouraging news regarding Lillard, the Bucks guard says he plans to play in Game 4 on Sunday with his team trailing 2-1 in the series.
Damian Lillard, when asked if he thinks he will have enough time to get right and play on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/N1YhCtktsh
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 27, 2024
Lillard shot just 6/20 in the game, though he made all 12 of his free throws to finish with 28 points.
The Bucks have already been playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo in this series. If Lillard is nursing an injury too moving forward, Milwaukee will be in a bad spot.
