The Milwaukee Bucks’ nightmare deepened on Sunday night when Damian Lillard went down with what many fear is a torn Achilles tendon. As Milwaukee struggled through a blowout 129-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4, the real concern wasn’t just the defeat, it was the potentially season-ending and possibly career-altering injury to their star guard.
Both head coach Doc Rivers and teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo were visibly shaken by the situation, and they addressed it somberly after the game.
Doc Rivers, who has coached countless stars across his career, admitted that Lillard’s injury hit differently.
“This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this. It’s just tough. That’s why you have teammates and family around him. He’s just a great freakin’ dude, like on the basketball level but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff. No one deserves it. You just look at him, so that’s why I feel bad. It’s just tough.”
Rivers’ comments highlighted the emotional weight hanging over the Bucks locker room. Lillard has battled through multiple issues this season, including a blood clot scare that sidelined him for much of the final stretch. Now, facing what appears to be a devastating Achilles injury, the future has become highly uncertain not just for this postseason, but possibly for the next year of his career.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who poured in 28 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists during the game, spoke just as emotionally when describing the moment Lillard went down.
“You see your teammate being down and your first thought is, ‘Come on, get up, get up, get up.’ Took some time being down, couldn’t get up and then you’re like, ‘OK, let’s see.’ The head trainer goes out there. The physio goes out there.”
“Kind of check what it is, but the moment you see a player not getting up and he’s limping and he cannot walk on his own, you kind of know that it’s serious. Especially for a guy like Dame, that is a competitor.”
“He wants to play in big games. He wants to help the team win. When you see a guy like that not able to walk on his own, you know this might be serious and then you kind of hope that it’s the best case scenario. And for now, we just hope it’s the best case scenario for him, for his health. That’s pretty much it. It’s tough.”
The Bucks, now trailing the series 3-1, face a near-impossible task trying to rally without one of their two franchise players. An MRI scheduled for Monday will confirm the extent of Lillard’s injury, but early signs point grim. Rivers openly admitted that the prognosis is “not very promising.”
Even if Lillard’s injury is anything less than a complete Achilles tear, the timing could not be worse for Milwaukee. Lillard, at 34 years old and under contract for several more seasons, may never fully regain the explosiveness that made him one of the league’s deadliest guards.
For Giannis and the Bucks, whose championship window was already narrowing, this could be a shattering blow to their hopes for the foreseeable future.
For now, all the Bucks can do is rally around their fallen star and hope for a miracle—both for Game 5 and for Damian Lillard’s future.
