The news is not good for Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard of Oakland, California. On Sunday, in the Bucks’s 109-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the nine-time All-Star tore his Achilles tendon, and is gone for the rest of the 2025 National Basketball Association playoffs.
Lillard was attempting for a long offensive rebound on a missed field goal by Gary Trent Jr., when he went hard to the ground on his own. Lillard instantly held his foot with five minutes and 53 seconds into the game. At the time, the Bucks were trailing the Pacers by a score of 15-12. Lillard missed both field goal attempts in game four. He had two rebounds (one offensive rebound and one defensive rebound) and two assists. Lillard was also a -3.
This is Lillard’s second significant injury of the season. It was his third game back after missing over a month with a deep vein thombrosis. Specifically, Lillard had a blood clot in his right calf. At the time of the ailment, it appeared he was done for the rest of the regular season, and surprised many that he returned for the second game of the playoffs.
In 58 games this season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and 1.2 steals per game. He had a field goal percentage of .448, three point percentage of .376, and free throw percentage of .921.
This is obviously a huge loss for the Bucks. They currently trail Indiana three games to one in the best out of seven Eastern Conference first round series. Game five is Tuesday.
