MILWAUKEE — A hush fell over Fiserv Forum in the middle of the first quarter of Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, which eventually ended in a 129-103 win for the road team. Damian Lillard, just back from a blood clot in his calf that had kept him sidelined for over a month, was sitting at the 3-point line, immobile and in disbelief.
The nine-time All-Star was chasing an offensive rebound from a missed 3-pointer by Gary Trent Jr. when he suddenly collapsed and immediately reached for his left calf and Achilles tendon. At the next dead ball, Kyle Kuzma helped Lillard to his feet, but he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. Lillard hopped his way to the bench with the assistance of Bucks coach Doc Rivers and the team’s medical staff, before leaning on Andre Jackson Jr. to make his way down the tunnel.
Before the first half was even over, the Bucks announced that Lillard would not return due to a “lower left leg injury,” which only raised the level of concern. Soon after, Chris Haynes reported that there is fear Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles tendon.
Rivers strode wearily to the podium after the game and said that Lillard would undergo an MRI on Monday, but admitted that the prognosis is “not very promising.” Lillard was on crutches and wearing a walking boot as he left the building.
The Bucks trailed by just three when Lillard exited, and that deficit grew to 11 by halftime. After the game, Rivers admitted the team was deflated by the obvious seriousness of Lillard’s injury.
“I’ve seen injuries deflate teams. Tonight, that one hurt. I thought our guys tried, but it was tough,” Rivers said. “All of them are in there at halftime in the training room. It’s really tough to talk to a team after that. My job over the next 40 hours is to get us upright to try to win one game in Indiana and try to get it back here. But my brain is in the same place where the players are — and that’s with Dame.”
By the time the locker room opened to media, few players remained, and those who did were somber. They all felt for Lillard, an ultimate teammate and one of the hardest workers in the league. Pat Connaughton, who has known Lillard since his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers, was so moved he left the bench midgame to go check on Lillard.
“Didn’t talk much, just wanted him to know myself, his teammates, people who care about him … we’re all here for him,” Connaughton said.
None of the Bucks were ready to give up on the series, but they understand the challenge now at hand.
“When a guy works as hard as he can to get back on the court and then those things happen, very sad for him,” Bucks big man Bobby Portis said. “Sad for us, for real. We need him out there.”
Lillard was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf on March 25, and at that time it looked like his season may have been over. However, his camp and the team expressed some optimism that he would be able to return at some point. And he did just that in Game 2 against the Pacers.
“It was a little bit scary,” Lillard said prior to his return, when reflecting on the experience. “I think I’ve had a couple of surgeries in my career. I’ve had things I’ve had to deal with, you know, with an ankle or a knee, Achilles, calf, whatever it might be. But those are all things that you go to rehab, you deal with it like that, like an athlete would.
“I’m thinking that’s what I was going into, and then you see a blood clot. Obviously, that’s a thing that can affect your life.”
Damian Lillard’s injury is the latest knife twist in what has been a cruel ending to his prime
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In his first two games back, Lillard looked exactly like someone who had been unable to play basketball for the better part of a month. He shot a combined 6 of 25 from the field in Games 2 and 3, but his mere presence was a major boost for the Bucks. Back at home for Game 3, the Bucks pulled away in the second half to finally get on the board in the series, inspired at times by some rare defensive moments from Lillard.
Despite the Bucks’ obvious flaws, they still had Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, and with Lillard in action there was hope they could get back into this series. In one false step, that has all been erased.
The clock had ticked past 12:30 a.m. local time before Antetokounmpo finally arrived at the podium.
“What do we got,” he asked rhetorically as he sat down.
The truthful answer, which neither he nor anyone else wanted to admit, is a lot of problems.
“I have so much respect for him, so much respect for him,” Antetokounmpo said, before spending nearly a minute detailing how much Lillard has been through over the past few years, both on and off the court, and what he’s meant to himself and the team. “I always had respect for Dame before we became teammates, but now my respect level is much higher. I respect him, man. I respect him a lot.”
If Lillard has indeed torn his Achilles tendon, the chances of the Bucks making a 3-1 comeback are next to none. And — for Lillard, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks — the concerns extend well beyond this series.
The feelings in Milwaukee were best summed up by Rivers, who muttered a short phrase to himself as he left the podium shortly after the game: “Ahh, f—.”
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