In a matter of mere seconds, things went from hopeful to horrible for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fresh off a resilient effort in Game 3 to get a victory over the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks were back at it in Game 4, looking to even up the series. Just minutes into the game, starting guard Damian Lillard fell as he went for a rebound, immediately grabbing his left Achilles. The guard was helped up and walked back to the locker room under his own power, but was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the initial fear is that Lillard did indeed suffer a left Achilles tear in the opening minutes of Game 4. That doesn't confirm it, of course, but from the moment he went down and started grabbing it, an Achilles injury popped into everyone's minds. Now, it's a matter of waiting for legitimate confirmation.
Damian Lillard injury is just another brutal blow for Bucks
It's horrible that Damian Lillard worked his way back from a blood clot in historic fashion and suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks despite not being 100 percent, just for this to happen. He put everything on the line to help this team in a time they desperately needed him, and it all goes down the drain in just a few seconds. Just flat-out brutal, especially after the Bucks had just gotten back into their series.
From a team perspective, if this is indeed an Achilles, it marks yet another devastating blow to a vital Milwaukee Bucks player in the postseason. It's happened every year since 2020.
If Damian Lillard is indeed out with an Achilles tear, not only does it impact them for the rest of this playoff run, but it's going to bleed into next season as well. It's a nightmare scenario for a Milwaukee team that has pushed all of its chips to the center of the table to win right now, making the trade for Lillard to create what could have been a lethal one-two punch with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the two years they have been together, they've only played two full postseason games together, and this injury certainly poses the question of just how many they may play in total. Plenty of players have come back from Achilles tears, so it's more than possible that the guard is far from finished, but for now, there is so much uncertainty looming.
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