What happened to Damian Lillard? Blazers star exits Game 4 vs Lakers with knee injury

The Portland Trail Blazers lost 115-135 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night (Tuesday IST), giving the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the playoffs Round 1 series. Damian Lillard posted 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting for the Trail Blazers before he appeared to injure his knee while driving the hoop. Lillard's right foot crashed and the 30-year-old guard was visibly hurt as he winced in pain. 

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What happened to Damian Lillard? Damian Lillard injury update

Lillard injured himself during the third quarter and did not return after exiting the game. Lillard somewhat limped back to the locker room but returned to the court for sometime before exiting once against with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter. According to multiple reports, Lillard will be undergoing an MRI scan to determine the extent of his injury.

As of now, the Trail Blazers are yet to make an official statement for Lillard's status for the upcoming Game 5. The Trail Blazers-Lakers Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at the NBA bubble in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida at 9:00 PM EST (Thursday, 6:30 AM IST). 

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Damian Lillard MRI scan: When will Damian Lillard return?

While Lillard's MRI scan details are yet to revealed, reports claim that Lillard will sit out of Game 5. The Trail Blazers guard had previously suffered a dislocated index finger during the Game 2 of their playoffs Western Conference first-round series. However, Lillard returned to play during the Trail Blazers' 108-116 Game 3 loss.

Also read | Damian Lillard injury update: Damian Lillard MRI scan

With Lillard out after scoring 11 points, Jusuf Nurkic scored a team-high 20 points. CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony added 18 and 16 points each. LeBron James scored a game-high 30 points for the Lakers, along with 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Anthony Davis added 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but exited the game early because of back spasms. He scored 16 of his points in the first quarter, which is most points he has scored in the first quarter of a playoffs game in his career, as per ESPN.

The Lakers also honoured late NBA legend Kobe Bryant during the game by wearing his Black Mamba jersey. Lillard too, honoured the Lakers icon by writing '8' and '24' on his sneakers before the game began. 

Also read | Is Damian Lillard playing tonight? Damian Lillard injury update

(Image credits: AP)