Bucks injury updates: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard doubtful for Game 4 vs. Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS – The bruised and battered Milwaukee Bucks did not formally practice Saturday, but rather held a film session to try to regroup after a 121-118 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday that put them down 2-1 in their first-round playoff series.

With star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo still recovering from an April 9 left calf strain, and Khris Middleton having sprained a right ankle in Game 2 on April 23, Damian Lillard twisted a knee and aggravated an Achilles tendon issue in Game 3.

Late Saturday afternoon Lillard was officially considered doubtful to play in Game 4 with right Achilles tendinitis and Antetokounmpo is doubtful with the calf strain. The good news is that Middleton was not on the initial injury report.

"We're one game away from being an even series," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said earlier Saturday. "After three games – because I actually went to class at Marquette – the series is as close as it possibly could be after three games, when you think about it. I'll let you guys figure out the rest of that one. So, yeah, that's what we do. This is the playoffs. Things happen. Obviously you don't want injuries to happen but when they do, you have to just pull in for one game until you figure you get more guys back and that's how you have to do it."

Here's the latest on the three stars:

Giannis Antetokounmpo injury update

Antetokounmpo has been listed as doubtful to play in the first three games of the series but had been ruled out early before Games 2 and 3. The 29-year-old has been doing court work of some kind for the last two weeks but has yet to practice in full, though Rivers said "he's working out (Sunday). He's going to go hard early and then we're goin to make a decision after that."

But, the coach allowed that having that early workout casts doubt on Antetokounmpo's availability that same evening for Game 4. Sunday's game will be 19 days post-injury, and Game 5 on Tuesday in Milwaukee is three weeks. The Bucks have not clarified just how badly the muscle was strained, however.

Rivers has said all along Antetokounmpo doesn't need a live practice session to play, but after the game Friday the coach said there is no plan to get the 7-footer in a game and he will return “only if he’s healthy. We’re not going to rush anybody back. It’s too dangerous to do that.”

Before the calf strain, Antetokounmpo missed regular season games due to tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon and soreness in his left hamstring.

This is the second straight first-round playoff series in which Antetokounmpo has missed games. Last season, he was undercut against Miami in Game 1, causing a back injury that sidelined him for most of that game and all of Games 2 and 3. He returned for Games 4 and 5.

He missed Games 5 and 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals with a left knee injury and the bulk of Game 4 and all of Game 5 of the 2020 first-round of the first-round “bubble” series with a sprained right ankle.

Damian Lillard injury update

Lillard quietly left the Bucks film session in a walking boot on his right foot to protect a strained Achilles tendon, which Rivers said left the all-star point guard's availability in doubt for Game 4. Lillard did get an MRI on the tendon.

"We don't know yet," Rivers said of his availability. "Not looking great, but we don't know yet."

Lillard originally tweaked the Achilles in the regular season finale in Orlando on April 14, which caused him to miss several practices during the “bye week” of April 15-20 as he recovered.

After the game Friday he had said hoped he'd be able to go in less than 48 hours before Sunday’s 6 p.m. CT tip-off.

“That’s the plan,” Lillard said after the game. “I think tonight it was just so fresh, reaggravating it after having a whole week to get it together, but I just wanted to be on the floor in case opportunity came up or however I could help. Obviously tonight we’re gonna get back and just have to get ahead of it, because that’s not something that you want to play with. It’s one of those spots on your body where you literally can’t, you can’t do nothing about it. If you can’t move, you can’t move. So we have a couple of days tonight to start to just try to get ahead of it, just get it feeling better and get ready for Sunday.”

After tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1970 record for most points in his first two playoff games for the franchise with 69 points, Lillard scored 28 points in Game 3 but was clearly affected by a tweaked left knee and the Achilles issue in going 6-for-20 from the field.

Khris Middleton injury update

Of the Bucks' three stars, Middleton is the one on track to play in Game 4 as Rivers said the three-time all-star didn't exit Game 3 with issues beyond his sprained right ankle.

Middleton was a game-time decision Friday and not only played through the sprain but tied Antetokounmpo (two times) for the fourth-greatest single-game scoring performance in Bucks playoff history in dropping a playoff career-high 42 points on the Pacers.

Only Antetokounmpo and Abdul-Jabbar have scored more in a postseason game.

Middleton also had 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the series and 14th of his postseason career in Milwaukee.

He also played a season-high 41 minutes.

"For the record, them being hurt does suck," Bucks wing Pat Connaughton said Saturday. "I think for us, it's our competitive nature. We believe we have a locker room of great players and we have guys that can have a 'next man up mentality' and can play. We have guys who have been situations and obviously delivered in the past, especially in the postseason. So making sure we lean on them. Some of them are dealing with injuries that aren't spoken about nearly as much or maybe even aren't spoken about at all. Just making sure that we don't let those things mentally let us off the hook. It's the playoffs.

"Everyone's dealing with something, on our side, on their side, how do we fight through it? How do we find ways to win one game, win a battle? Overall the series will be the war but try to win a battle on Sunday and make sure we do it together and make sure we pick each other up with whatever it might be."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks injury updates: Giannis, Damian Lillard doubtful for Game 4