Bucks Fear Damian Lillard Suffered Catastrophic Injury Sunday, NBA Insider Says

Lillard went down just a few minutes into Sunday night's game against the Pacers.
Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grabs at his leg after suffering an injury vs. the Indiana Pacers.
Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grabs at his leg after suffering an injury vs. the Indiana Pacers. / via TNT

The Milwaukee Bucks lost star point guard Damian Lillard just minutes into Game 4 of their first-round series vs. the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, and according to a new report from NBA insider Chris Haynes, they may have to prepare to be without him for the foreseeable future.

Lillard stumbled while attempting to corral an offensive rebound midway through the first quarter, and collapsed to the ground after tipping the ball out to Gary Trent Jr. He was escorted off the floor by members of the Bucks staff and immediately left for the locker room.

Now, the team is bracing for the worst regarding Lillard's health, per Haynes.

"The fear is Bucks star Damian Lillard suffered a left Achilles tear," the insider reported shortly after Lillard left the floor. "Brutal circumstance after working himself back from a blood clot diagnosis that kept him out over a month."

There has been no official injury diagnosis for Lillard yet, though Milwaukee has ruled him out for the remainder of Game 4. If it is, in fact, an Achilles tear, it will add to an already brutal run for the nine-time All-Star.

Lillard missed the final month of the regular season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in March. He made a remarkably quick comeback from the condition, suiting up for the Bucks in Game 2 of their series vs. the Pacers.

Now, it appears that Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. will have to fight back without one of the league's most talented scorers. Milwaukee trails the series 2–1 and is down 63–52 at the half of Sunday night's game.


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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.