Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard dislocated his left index finger in last night’s loss to the Lakers, but he insists he’ll be ready when the series resumes Saturday, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
“Oh, I’m playing,” Lillard said after the game, later adding, “It’s just sore. A little bit tender to the touch.”
The injury occurred in the third quarter when Lillard tried to slap the ball away from Anthony Davis, who was driving to the basket. He was taken out of the game, which L.A. was leading handily at the time, and didn’t return. X-rays showed there was no break.
Lillard told reporters this is the first time he has dislocated a finger, and he tried to pull it back into place before receiving medical attention.
“[The staff] had to put it back for me, and at that point, I thought it was broken,” Lillard said. “I was just frustrated because I had to go back and get it looked at. I was just frustrated. It was just bad timing. I handle the ball a lot, so just knowing there’s going to be some discomfort, I don’t know how that’s going to feel or how that’s going to go. It’s frustrating. That’s all it was.”
Lillard has been spectacular since arriving at the Disney World complex, helping the Blazers rise out of a pack of contenders to claim the eighth seed in the West. He has averaged 36.6 PPG in Orlando and was a unanimous choice for MVP of the seeding games.
Tape it up and let’s go. These are the playoffs. You got 9 more. Gm3 is big for both teams.
LOL its not a series Al. Lakers are taking this in 5.
Portland got exposed last night. Their lack of depth and defense is apparent and appalling. The Lakers aren’t great, but the Trailblazers are too reliant on one individual to win a playoff series. If Portland can’t hit shots, this is what’s going to happen. They also had no answers for Davis, who completely manhandled them in the post
This has been true about Portland for like 10 years now. Their GM has really dropped the ball on building a legit contender and the window is almost gone.
I’m hoping the Lakers can hold on to win the series, the Rockets match up way better with them than they do with the Blazers.
Very true. I’m hoping for a Rockets Clippers Conference Finals, as that’d be a very competitive matchup between two small ball teams. Harden, Westbrook, Covington, and Tucker rival Kawhi, Lou, George, and Harrell