The Milwaukee Bucks were hoping to tie their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers tonight, with Indiana coming to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee for Game 4 with a 2-1 lead.
While the Pacers took early control of the game, their winning prospects were made much easier when guard Damian Lillard crumbled on the court for an apparent non-contact injury.
Damian Lillard goes down with a non-contact injury.
Prayers. 🙏
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 28, 2025
Fans are already sending in their prayers for Lillard, assuming that he’s suffered an Achilles tear based on his reaction to the non-contact play.
“Hopefully not an Achilles,” said one well-meaning fan.
“I am worried Damian Lillard just tore his Achilles. The DVT is unrelated to this. You can see the calf reverberate on this video,” said one fan who’s also a doctor.
“I agree with Eric here, unfortunately, this looks like a torn Achilles for Damian Lillard. Despite recently returning from a blood clot (DVT), I do not believe there is a connection between the two. Best case scenario would be a calf strain,” said another doctor, based on the previous comment.
“I’m no Doctor, but I have blown an Achilles. I recognize all of what Damian Lillard just did. The jolt, the immediate grab of his ankle, the sitting there in complete disbelief, and the walk, unable to push off in his gait. This is not good,” said another fan.
“I just watched Damian Lillard get hit with an Achilles tear like our court is the turf in MetLife,” said another upset fan trying to bring some levity to this situation.
Nothing has been confirmed so far outside Chris Haynes revealing that Lillard will definitely not return to this game and has suffered a ‘potentially severe’ injury.
“Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard will not return tonight against the Indiana Pacers, league sources tell me. Injury potentially severe.”
Lillard was averaging 10.5 points on 24.0% from the field in the Playoffs, arguably the worst performance we’ve seen from any former All-Star. He has not looked like the bona fide All-NBA player he was in his prime, but he was still a crucial part of any hopes of success the Bucks could have had this season or the next.
He averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists through the season.
For a short guard like Lillard, an Achilles injury at 34 years old could be almost career-ending. With his contract already secured, Lillard will miss nearly all of next season, if not more, if his Achilles tear is confirmed. With the Bucks having no other assets, it seems like Giannis Antetokounmpo’s contention window in Milwaukee has finally slammed shut.
