INDIANAPOLIS โ Damian Lillard underwent an MRI to determine the severity of his Achilles tendon injury, and the Milwaukee Bucks could be without the star guard for Game 4 of their NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, coach Doc Rivers said Saturday.
Lillard greeted reporters as he strolled through an Indianapolis hotel wearing a walking boot on his right foot, but he did not take questions. Officially, Lillard and two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo are both listed as doubtful for Sunday.
โWe donโt know yet. Not looking great but we donโt know yet,โ Rivers said when asked about Lillardโs status for Sunday. โTheyโre going to give us the test results soon, so we should know a little later today.โ
Milwaukee was 1-8 when Lillard didnโt start a game in the regular season.
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Lillard was clearly limping at times during the Bucksโ 121-118 overtime loss at Indiana on Friday night. The eight-time All-Star twisted his left knee when Pacers forward Pascal Siakam stepped on his foot in the first quarter. He stayed on the ground briefly before going to the locker room.
The 33-year-old Lillard returned in the second quarter and finished with 28 points and eight assists while going 6 of 20 from the field.
After the game, Lillard said he also hurt an Achilles tendon late in regulation. He scored two points, both on free throws and none in overtime, over the final 10 minutes Friday as Milwaukee fell into a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series.
Lillardโs injury means Milwaukee could be without its top two players for Game 4.
Antetokounmpo hasnโt played since straining his left calf April 9. Rivers said Antetokounmpo could be cleared for Game 4, though he believes itโs unlikely.
โToday is his day off so heโs going to go hard early (Sunday) and then weโre going to make a decision after that,โ Rivers said before being asked directly whether Antetokounmpo might play. โI doubt it, but weโll see.โ
The Bucks did get some promising news Saturday.
Rivers said Khris Middleton โ who finished with a playoff-career high 42 points in Game 3 โ appeared to be feeling well after playing 41 minutes on the sprained right ankle that kept him out of Thursdayโs practice.
โHe felt great,โ Rivers said. โObviously, youโve got to go to sleep and wake up in the morning and Iโm looking around and donโt see a lot of old guys โ a couple of us โ you know how when we wake up our body feels, so we have to wait for Khris to wake up in the morning. The good news is there wasnโt a lot of swelling, and he said he felt better as the game went on.โ
Dealing with postseason injuries is nothing new for the Bucks.
READ: NBA: Damian Lillard has unusual night in Bucksโ Game 1 win
A sprained ankle kept Antetokounmpo out of the final 1ยฝ games of a 2020 second-round loss to Miami. He also missed the final two games of the 2021 Eastern Conference finals with a hyperextended knee. Antetokounmpo returned against Phoenix and was voted the NBA Finals MVP after scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 victory.
Middleton missed the Bucksโ last 10 playoff games in 2022 with a sprained medial collateral ligament, and Antetokounmpo left Game 1 of last yearโs first-round loss to Miami with a bruised lower back that also kept him out of Games 2 and 3.
The Bucks are facing a similar scenario Sunday.
โWe have 24 hours to work on that and figure it out,โ Rivers said. โIn the past, without him (Lillard), weโve had Giannis at the point. If he doesnโt play, you have to just figure out something. We have guys. There are certain ways in the motion offense we can play, weโve worked a little bit on that, so weโll be ready.โ