Bucks again play without the injured Antetokounmpo and Lillard in Game 5 against the Pacers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were unavailable again as the Bucks attempted to keep their season alive in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo is dealing with a strained left calf that has kept him out for the entire series. Lillard injured his Achilles tendon during the Bucks’ 121-118 Game 3 loss on Friday.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before Tuesday’s game that Antetokounmpo had done some shooting earlier in the day and that Lillard hadn’t done anything. Both players had been listed as doubtful on the injury report leading up to Tuesday’s game.
The Bucks headed into Tuesday’s game trailing the best-of-seven series 3-1. Indiana was seeking to clinch its first playoff series victory since 2014, while Milwaukee was trying to avoid a second straight first-round exit.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his left calf in an April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics. The two-time MVP was struggling to run up the court in the third quarter of that game when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat on the floor before eventually heading to the locker room. An MRI revealed the muscle strain.
Lillard twisted his left knee in the first quarter of Game 3, went to the locker room and returned to the game, then hurt his Achilles late in the fourth quarter. He didn’t play in the Bucks’ 126-113 Game 4 loss on Sunday.
The Bucks did have forward Khris Middleton and guard Patrick Beverley available for Tuesday’s game. Both players were listed as probable on the injury report, as Middleton has a sprained right ankle and Beverley has a strained right oblique.
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