The Bucks star suffered an injury during the first half against the Pacers.
The Milwaukee Bucks dropped Game 3 of their first round NBA Playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers, 121-118, to fall behind in the series 2-1. While the Bucks have been hoping for good news at some point regarding the injury status of Giannis Antetokounmpo, they may have another pressing issue to deal with. Damian Lillard suffered an injury scare in the first half and although he was able to return, Doc Rivers had a few worrisome words regarding Lillard’s potential health for this series as per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I think it’s his Achilles again, so we’ll see,” Doc Rivers said. “Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, ‘I’ll be the decoy. I just can’t go as far as the explosion.’ So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us.”
Damian Lillard first suffered the injury in the first quarter after landing awkwardly after going up for a layup. While he exited the game and went back to the locker room, he was able to return to the game. He finished with 28 points, one rebound, eight assists and three steals.
But he clearly was not himself following the injury although he did hit a few big shots as the Bucks rallied back from being down double digits. He shot only 6-20 from the field and was 4-12 from the three point line although he did shoot 12-12 from the free throw line.
The Bucks injury issues continue to pile up in the NBA Playoffs
Lillard’s injury is just the latest in the ongoing health issues the Bucks have had since the start of the NBA Playoffs. It began at the tail end of the regular season when Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury that kept him out of the final three games of the regular season. He’s missed the first three games of the first round and his status for the rest of the series is in doubt.
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The injury issues continued with Game 2 when Khris Middleton suffered an ankle injury. Middleton did play in Game 3 though and he was brilliant in leading the Bucks with 42 points, ten rebounds and five assists. He shot 16-29 from the field, 4-9 from the three point line, 6-6 from the free throw line and hit both shots to send the game into overtime and double overtime before ultimately missing the shot that would’ve sent it to triple overtime.
The Bucks now have to see how effective Lillard will be with his injury. The comments made by Doc Rivers following the game certainly won’t inspire any confidence from Bucks fans. The Pacers now have temporary control of the series and are brimming with confidence. Game 4 of this series is scheduled for Monday.
Pacers growing rivalry with Bucks continues
During the regular season, the Bucks and Pacers had a mini-rivalry brewing that began during the in-season tournament when Tyrese Haliburton used Damian Lillard’s signature ‘Dame Time’ celebratory gesture.
It boiled over into regular season play when Antetokounmpo scored a franchise record 64 points and wanted the game ball to commemorate his milestone. But the Pacers had apparently taken the game ball for rookie Oscar Tshiebwe who scored his first career point.
Antetokounmpo exchanged words with several members of the Pacers on the court following the game before bolting in the direction of the Pacers locker room presumably in search of the ball. He ultimately retrieved a ball but he was not convinced that is the actual game ball.
