Milwaukee Bucks star guard Damian Lillard exited Sunday night’s home playoff game against the Indiana Pacers with a potentially serious lower left leg injury.
Lillard was hurt while seeking a long offensive rebound and he fell to the floor while tapping the ball forward shortly before the midway point of the first quarter. He immediately grabbed for his lower left leg and was unable to get up.
Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez committed a foul with 5:57 left in the quarter to stop play and trainers then attended to Lillard. He eventually was helped off the court while keeping his left foot from touching the floor.
The Bucks formally ruled out Lillard early in the second quarter. He was scoreless in six minutes and missed both his shots. He collected two rebounds and two assists.
Lillard, 34, just returned from having a blood clot in his right leg. He missed the final 14 games of the regular season and the first contest of this playoff series against the Pacers.
Lillard averaged 10.5 points and shot just 24 percent (6 of 25) from the field in his first two appearances of this series. The Bucks trail 2-1 in the series entering Sunday’s home game.
The nine-time All-Star averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 58 regular-season games.
