Damian Lillard has a torn left Achilles tendon, confirming the Milwaukee Bucks’ worst fears after the seven-time all-NBA guard was helped off the court Sunday night.
The Bucks announced the severity of Lillard’s injury after he had an MRI on Monday.
The injury knocks Lillard out for the rest of the postseason and could put his status for next season in doubt as well. When Kevin Durant tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals, he ended up missing the entire 2019-20 season.
The Bucks had been bracing for this outcome after Milwaukee’s 129-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4. Milwaukee trails the Indiana Pacers 3-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
“Just being honest, it’s not very promising,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Sunday night after the game.
Lillard, 34, was behind the 3-point line when the ball bounced toward him. Lillard used his left hand to tip the ball toward teammate Gary Trent Jr., then went down and grabbed the lower part of his left leg, around his ankle. He continued to sit on the floor as play resumed on the other end of the court.
After a foul stopped play, Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma helped Lillard up. Lillard then started limping and had to be helped off the court and into the locker room.
“I have so much respect for him,” teammate and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “A lot of people don’t see what Dame had to deal with, but we’re around him every single day, and it’s hard. It’s hard being in his position. He’s one of the toughest, mentally toughest guys I’ve ever been around. That’s why he is who he is.”
Lillard had missed the Bucks’ last 14 regular-season games and the first game of this series while dealing with deep vein thrombosis, an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart. Lillard was taken off blood-thinning medication and cleared to resume full basketball activities at the end of the regular season, and he returned to action for Game 2 of this series.
“The guy tried to come back for his team. I just feel bad for him,” Rivers told reporters Sunday night. “This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this, it’s just tough.
“That’s why you have teammates and family around him. He’s just such a great freaking dude, on a basketball level, but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff.”
Lillard ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring (24.9) and 10th in assists (7.1) this season while earning his 10th All-Star Game selection. He made an extraordinarily rapid return from his deep vein thrombosis to rejoin his teammates for the playoffs. Now he faces an even longer recovery while dealing with a separate issue requiring surgery.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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