The most deflating news coming out of Milwaukee over the weekend was the Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Adding to the disappointment was the ongoing speculation about the lower leg injury that Bucks guard Damian Lillard suffered in the first half.
Video
Lillard had been trying to find his stride after working his way back to play in the playoffs following his diagnosis last month with deep vein thrombosis. One of the more likable players in the league, he was fighting to help his team tie the series when he went down chasing a loose ball.
Instinctively grabbing his lower leg, many immediately feared the worst, that it was his Achilles. Lillard could barely put any weight on his leg and had to be carried off the court.
Head coach Doc Rivers spoke highly of Lillard and expressed his deep disappointment over the injury.
“This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this, it’s just tough,” Rivers said after the game. “That’s why you have teammates and family around you. He’s just such a great freakin’ dude on the basketball court, but more importantly, as a teammate and as a father, all of that stuff. No one deserves this. God, you just look at him and you feel bad because it’s just tough.”
Lillard’s Achilles tear was confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania Monday afternoon. The timeline and process of rehab will be grueling. Now, what does Milwaukee do, down 3–1 in the best-of-seven series against Indiana?
We’ll have to wait and see if Giannis Antetokounmpo and Doc Rivers can turn this ship around.
