Damian Lillard update: re-aggravated Achilles injury in Game 3 / News - Basketnews.com

Damian Lillard says he plans to play in Game 4 vs. the Indiana Pacers after injuring his Achilles in Game 3 loss. Doc Rivers notes that the player was really struggling.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect - Scanpix

In a heart-breaking 121-118 Game 3 loss against the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star guard Damian Lillard aggravated his right Achilles tendon with a mere 9.3 seconds left in regulation.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Tyrese Haliburton Points 18 Accuracy 8-22 Rebounds 10 Assists 16

He played through the injury across overtime but refrained from attempting a shot.

"I think it's his Achilles again, so we'll see." coach Doc Rivers said after Game 3. "Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, 'I'll be the decoy. I just can't go as far as explosion.' So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us."

During his post-game press conference, Lillard shared his intention to play in the upcoming game. However, whether he will regain his usual agility and explosiveness for Game 4 remains uncertain.

"I think tonight, it was just so fresh, just re-aggravated after having a whole week where you could kind of get it together," Lillard said. "But I just wanted to be on the floor in case some opportunity came up, or however I could help. But obviously, tonight, we're gonna get back and just have to get ahead of it because that's not something you want to play with.

"It's one of those spots on your body where you literally can't do nothing about it," he added. "If you can't move, you can't move. So we got a couple of days, tonight, to start to try to get ahead of it and just get it feeling better, try to get ready for Sunday."

The discomfort began earlier in the game when Lillard went down clutching his left knee in the first quarter. However, it was the Achilles issue that truly hampered his performance.

"I felt like it was some discomfort, some soreness, but I didn't think it was something I couldn't play with," he said on his knee. "That was it."

Lillard played 45 minutes in the game and scored 28 points.

The Bucks are already without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf strain) and now trailing 1-2 in the first-round series.

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