NBA
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard play in game 6 against the Pacers? Injury update
Bucks coach Doc Rivers has several players ruled out or doubtful for this evening’s matchup against the Pacers will the series in the balance.
The Milwaukee Bucks are one win away from tying their first round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers but the injuries continue to pile up for coach Doc Rivers. The Bucks have been without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, their two top scorers of the regular season, with Dame sitting out the last two games and the Greek forward yet to feature.
One defeat away from elimination, the Bucks retaliated to win Wednesday’s game at Fiserv Forum 115-92 to take the series to 3-2 and force Game 6. Both Lillard and Antetokounmpo were watching from the sidelines.
However, that victory came at a price - Khris Middleton picked up a minor ankle injury during the game and is being monitored on a day-to-day basis. Patrick Beverley is a nursing an abdominal oblique injury and has the same status. Both players are listed as ‘probable’ for Game 6 against the Pacers which means they have a 75 percent chance of playing.
Lillard and Giannis ‘doubtful’
That’s not the case for Lillard and Antetokounmpo. Lillard has been suffering from tendinitis in his Achilles for some time. It flared up in the 113-88 defeat to the Orlando Magic in the final game of the regular season on 14 April. That, along with an issue to his left adductor forced him to sit out one practice session although he was declared fit for the first playoff game against Indiana. He aggravated his Achilles injury during the dying moments of Game 3, ending with 28 points, eight assists and one rebound.
Antetokounmpo has been unable to shake off a calf injury and has not taken part in any of the playoff series games. Both Lillard and Giannis are listed as doubtful for the sixth game against the Pacers but the Greek is definitely ruled out. Milwaukee bucked the trend by beating Indiana on Wednesday as up until then, no team had ever won a playoff game while missing their top two scorers from the regular season.
Rivers said postgame that he was delighted with how the team responded without two key players: “We had a very lively film session today. It was very positive but very lively. You can feel the energy - in the film and in our walkthorugh. I didn’t know whether we would win on that, you never know as a coach. But I did walk off the floor and I said, ‘We’re coming tonight’. I don’t know if we’re going win, but we’re coming to play - you could feel it in the preparation. That’s a team thinking they can win - this is a mentally tough basketball team”.
When asked about the possibility that Dame and Giannis could return for the series, he replied, “I don’t know how to answer that. I know they’re very, very close”. Game 6 takes place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday 2 May, tipping off at 6:30 p.m. ET.