Report: Damian Lillard suffered a Grade 1 Achilles strain, doubtful for Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Game 4

Lillard hurt his Achilles on Friday night

Apr 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — According to multiple reports, Milwaukee Bucks star guard Damian Lillard has a Grade 1 Achilles strain that he suffered during Game 3 of the Bucks first round series against the Indiana Pacers.

Chris Haynes of TNT was the first to report the specifics of the injury. Shams Charania of The Athletic added that Lillard is in a walking boot. The superstar guard played for nearly 45 minutes during Game 3, which was an overtime loss for Milwaukee.

Lillard said during his postgame press conference on Friday that he re-aggravated his Achilles injury late in Game 3. He’s expressed hope that he would get his burst back by Sunday for the next Game in the series, but that seems far less likely now. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers explained that Lillard told him he could be a decoy in the overtime period since he couldn't move well.

The re-aggravation took place with just a few seconds left in regulation. It was a significant moment in the flow of the game, and the Pacers held on to win by three after the extra period. Lillard finished the outing with 28 points and eight assists.

Milwaukee's star guard is averaging 32.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in the series so far. He had 35 points in the first half alone during the Bucks Game 1 victory.

After the Pacers practiced on Saturday, head coach Rick Carlisle said that the team will prepare for Game 4 with the assumption that Lillard is playing. That's the same approach they took with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has yet to appear in this series.

The Bucks released their official injury report for Game 4 late in the afternoon on Saturday, and both Lillard and Antetokounmpo are listed as doubtful. Should they both not play, it would be a huge blow to Milwaukee's chances, and they already trail 2-1 in the series.

Khris Middleton, who was dealing with an ankle injury earlier in the series, is listed as probable while rookie Chris Livingston is out, the Bucks added.

Indiana leads the series right now and has been far more fortunate with their injury situation throughout the best-of-seven set. They need to continue to take advantage of the opportunity for slightly easier wins — should they slip up before either star Milwaukee player returns, their margin for error in the series would shrink dramatically.

Game 4 tips off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday night.

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