MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were again unavailable as the Bucks tried 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 loss in Game 3 the manufacture.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before Tuesday’s game that Antetokounmpo had taken some shots earlier in the day and that Lillard hadn’t taken any. Both players had been listed as questionable on the injury report leading up to Tuesday’s game.
The Bucks entered Tuesday’s game trailing the best-of-seven series 3-1. Indiana was looking for its first playoff series win since 2014, while Milwaukee was trying to avoid a second straight first-round exit.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since straining his left calf in one Victory of April 9 over the Boston Celtics. The two-time MVP was struggling to get on the court in the third quarter of that game when grabbed his left calf and sat on the floor before finally 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 injured his Achilles late in the fourth quarter. He didn’t play for the Bucks 126-113 loss in Game 4 on Sunday.
The Bucks had 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.