MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard has torn the Achilles tendon in his left leg, which is bad news for the Milwaukee Bucks. The seven-time All-NBA guard had to be helped off the court on Sunday night. The Bucks confirmed the injury on Monday after an MRI scan.
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Damian Lillard’s torn Achilles means he’ll miss the rest of the playoffs, and it might even affect his next season. The Bucks were already expecting bad news after their 129-103 loss to the Pacers in Game 4, which put them down 3-1 in the series. Game 5 is coming up Tuesday in Indianapolis.
This injury came just as Lillard had returned from a serious blood clot issue in his right calf. It was only his third game back.
“It’s really tough,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “He went through the blood clot, and now this. He’s such a great guy, both on and off the court.”
Lillard got hurt early in the first quarter. After tipping the ball to a teammate, he went down, holding his lower left leg. He couldn’t stand on it and had to be helped off the court.
Teammate Pat Connaughton said, “He’s one of the toughest people I know, so when he stayed down, I knew it was serious.”
Lillard had missed the last 14 regular-season games due to a clot in his leg. Doctors cleared him to play again after taking him off blood thinners. He missed Game 1 of the Pacers series but returned for Games 2 and 3.
Despite everything, Lillard still ranked 10th in the NBA for both points (24.9) and assists (7.1) this season and made his 10th All-Star appearance.
Before the playoffs, Lillard said his blood clot case was rare and surprised even the doctors. Unfortunately, now he’s facing a longer recovery from a new injury.
Teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo said, “I know Dame will fight through this. We’re all here to support him.”
This is just the latest in a series of playoff injuries for the Bucks since their 2021 championship. Middleton, Giannis, and now Lillard have all had bad luck in key moments, making it harder for Milwaukee to make deep playoff runs.