Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard has a strained Achilles and is in a walking boot, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. He re-aggravated his Achilles tendon injury in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, and is considered doubtful for Game 4 on Sunday night. Down 2-1, this would be a huge blow for the Bucks as they have already been without star center Giannis Antetokounmpo throughout the series.
Lillard had to battle through multiple injuries in Friday’s 121-118 overtime loss as he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and briefly exited the contest. He return to the action soon after and managed to have a productive night before aggravating his Achilles towards the end of regulation. Head coach Doc Rivers even said afterwards that the All-NBA guard suggested to simply be a decoy on the floor due to his lack of explosion.
As mentioned before, the potential loss of Lillard puts the Bucks in a tough bind as they will try to re-tie the series with their two star players. Khris Middleton did step up with 42 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the Game 3 setback and he’d have to shoulder the burden in case Lillard is in fact ruled out.