The Milwaukee Bucks have found themselves in a tough spot, behind 2-1 in the first round against the Indiana Pacers and facing a pivotal Game 4 with a chance to take the series back to Milwaukee all tied up ahead of Game 5.
The prospect of tying this series up suddenly looks like a near-impossible task with some bad injury news coming out ahead of Game 4.
The Bucks have officially confirmed that their two superstars will miss Game 4 tonight, with Damian Lillard being ruled out with an Achilles injury and Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing to miss time with the calf injury he suffered towards the end of the regular season.
The Bucks have officially ruled out Dame (Achilles) and Giannis (calf) for tonight’s Game 4 against Indiana. pic.twitter.com/ejwKFLNSmp
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 28, 2024
The Bucks fought valiantly in Game 3 before losing in overtime, but the one silver lining was how good Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez looked.
Without Lillard and Giannis, Middleton, Lopez, and Bobby Portis will be counted on to lead the offense, which is a task Middleton looked up for in Game 3.
Middleton is fresh off a 42-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist performance with multiple game-breaking shots down the stretch in the fourth quarter and overtime and looked like the All-Star he was prior to the past couple of years.
Lopez is having a great series as well and shooting 53.8 percent from three-point range so far.
It’s unclear if Milwaukee can make it to Game 5 tied 2-2 if Lillard or Giannis will even be able to return, as Achilles and calf injuries don’t heal very fast.
The Bucks are backed against the wall and the Pacers have built momentum after an embarrassing Game 1, and we’ll see if they can find a way to tie this series up tonight.
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