Damian Lillard scored 28 points in the Bucks’ Game 3 loss to the Pacers.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was ruled out for Game 4 of their playoff series against the Indiana Pacers due to an Achilles injury, the team announced Sunday. All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo also sat out the 126-113 loss with a calf injury, while Bobby Portis was ejected in the first quarter after an altercation with Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.
The slew of absences left the Bucks severely undermanned as they face a 3-1 series deficit and first-round elimination.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Milwaukee (9:30 ET, TNT). Both could miss that game, too.
Lillard joined the injury list following Friday night’s 121-118 overtime loss in Game 3. He twisted his left knee in the first quarter, went to the locker room and then injured his Achilles tendon in the waning minutes of regulation. He finished the game with 28 points and eight assists but only scored two points, both on free throws, in the final 10 minutes of action.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after Game 3 that Lillard said he lacked his typical explosiveness late in the game. Lillard had a protective walking boot covering his right foot while walking through the team hotel on Saturday.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his left calf on April 9. Rivers said Saturday that he “doubted” the two-time league MVP would be cleared to play.
The Bucks did get some promising news Saturday.
Rivers said Khris Middleton — who finished with a playoff-career high 42 points in Game 3 — appeared to be feeling well after playing 41 minutes on the sprained right ankle that kept him out of Thursday’s practice.
Middleton finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Game 4 despite playing with a sprained right ankle and four fouls for much of the second half.
Part of the problem in Game 4 was Milwaukee’s depth, which could prove tricky again Tuesday night.
Middleton hurt his left ankle during the second half and backup guard Pat Connaughton also injured his ribs. Portis was ejected with 5:01 left in the first quarter after he and Andrew Nembhard were involved in a shoving match. Portis drew two technical fouls on the play, part of a six-technical first half.
“It was a tough break for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Rivers said when asked about Portis’ early departure. “Playoff games are high emotion, they really are and so that happened. You can’t get it back once it happened.”
Dealing with postseason injuries is nothing new for the Bucks.
A sprained ankle kept Antetokounmpo out of the final 1 1/2 games of a 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to Miami. He also missed the final two games of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals with a hyperextended knee. Antetokounmpo returned against Phoenix and was named the NBA Finals MVP after scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 victory.
Middleton missed the Bucks’ last 10 playoff games in 2022 with a sprained medial collateral ligament, and Antetokounmpo left Game 1 of last year’s first-round loss to Miami with a bruised lower back that also kept him out of Games 2 and 3.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
