Injuries have been the dominant storyline in the NBA Playoffs, but not for Pacers; Damian Lillard doubtful for Game 4
Injuries have been the dominant storyline in the NBA Playoffs, but not for Pacers; Damian Lillard doubtful for Game 4
Giannis Antetokounmpo still hasn't played in the series and Damian Lillard is unlikely to be available on Sunday. The Pacers lead 2-1.
No matter which NBA playoff game you’re watching, at least one key player is seemingly sidelined. Injuries are a part of sports, yet they’ve already had a significant impact in the postseason — and it’s just Week 2.
Jimmy Butler is out for the Heat. No Zion Williamson for the Pelicans. Joel Embiid is trudging through despite looking terribly uncomfortable and often not even making it across mid-court. The Knicks are without Julius Randle. And Kawhi Leonard’s status for the Clippers is game to game.
You get the point.
And that short list doesn’t even include a series in the Eastern Conference that may be without two future Hall of Famers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, has not played in the first three games due to a left calf strain suffered two weeks ago, and now the Milwaukee Bucks are preparing to likely be without guard Damian Lillard, an eight-time All-Star.
Lillard hobbled off the court late in the first quarter of Game 3 on Friday with a left knee injury. He went back to the locker room, was evaluated and then played through the pain.
“I laid the ball in and when I landed, when he tried to block it, he (Pascal Siakam) landed on my foot,” Lillard said after a Game 3 loss to Indiana.
“And the way he landed on my foot, it just twisted my knee. It just happened so fast because I was landing and my foot was gonna do one thing and when all his weight came down on my foot, it just kinda twisted me up. And it was painful initially, so I just stayed down.”
Then with just a few seconds left in regulation, he re-aggrevated his right Achilles injury that kept him out of practice the first few days before the playoffs even began. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers then subbed out Lillard, who was wincing as he walked gingerly to the bench and then talked with the team’s athletic trainer.
“I tried to run around,” he said. “I just pushed off and just re-aggravated it.”
According to Jeff Stotts, athletic trainer (and friend of Fieldhouse Files): “A Grade 1 Achilles strain is considered mild but can be a problematic injury that lingers. Average time lost for in-season nondescript Achilles strains is 10 days (4.2 games).”
Now, the Bucks are listing both Antetokounmpo and Lillard as doubtful for Game 4 Sunday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony and Stephanie Ready on the call for TNT at 7 p.m. ET.)
And immediately, the sportsbooks reacted — moving the line from Pacers -7.5 to -9.5.
The challenge for the Pacers becomes the variance of what the Bucks can do knowing that if he is indeed out, others must step up. They are prepared for Antetokounmpo and they’re prepared for Lillard; but this could also lead to the Bucks doing different things to stay afloat.
And more than anything, it’s on the Pacers to keep the focus on themselves, what they do best and to exploit the best matchups.
Already, forward Khris Middleton had been a game-time decision for Game 3 — only for him to erupt for 42 points and a game-tying 3-pointer that sent it into overtime.
“Only if he's healthy,” Rivers said of Antetokounmpo, who hasn’t done much beyond shooting. “We're not gonna rush anybody back. It’s too dangerous to do that.”
So the Bucks’ top three players are on the injury report with two players’ status in doubt. You don’t wish injuries on anyone and want to beat a team with full health, but these are their current circumstances.
In previous seasons, this was all too familiar for the Pacers.
Before their return to the playoffs, there was always something — with Glenn Robinson III, Edmond Sumner and T.J. Warren to Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner.
And of course in 2014-15, it was Paul George. (The Pacers haven’t won a playoff series since 2014.)
2019: Oladipo suffered a season-ending injury in January, and he didn’t join the team in the playoffs until Game 4.
2020: In the Disney bubble, Domantas Sabonis didn’t play due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot; Jeremy Lamb was lost for the season due to significant damage in his left knee, and Victor Oladipo wasn’t 100%, only playing for contractural purposes. They had 160 games lost due to injury.
The Pacers have 126 games lost due to injury this season, according to team notes. Bennedict Mathurin, who’s been out with season-ending shoulder surgery, is the only Pacer on the injury report.
And although Tyrese Haliburton isn’t 100%, he’s been impactful and able to play big minutes. In Game 3, he became the fourth Pacer to record a triple-double in the playoffs and he nailed a floater in overtime to give the team their first home playoff win since 2018.
“I think that we're excited about the win,” Turner told reporters postgame, “but we also know that this game went into overtime on our home turf and anything is possible in this series. So we had to be ready for all scenarios.
“We're a very confident group, but I think we're very realistic as well. We know the tasks that we have ahead.”
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