Damian Lillard determined to play Game 3 vs Lakers despite dislocating finger in Game 2

The Portland Trail Blazers' blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lakers was worsened by Damian Lillard's injury, which sidelined him for the rest for the game. With Lillard out, the Trail Blazers fell 111-88, with Anthony Davis dominating the court with a 31-point performance. Following his injury, Lillard stated that he will be playing Game 3 of the Trail Blazers vs Lakers playoffs series despite his injury. 

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Damian Lillard will play Game 3 of Trail Blazers vs Lakers series despite injury

Damian Lillard dislocated his left index finger during the third quarter of Game 2, per @CassidyHubbarth.

He returned to the bench with taped fingers after his X-Rays came back negative. pic.twitter.com/FV5kFZNVKv

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 21, 2020

Lillard injured his finger while driving to the basket by Davis. The 30-year-old point guard was visibly upset and kept shaking his head as he left the court to be tended to by the team's medical staff. The team later announced that the x-rays were negative. Lillard exited the game with 18 points while shooting 6-of-14 from the field in 30 minutes, his fewest since arriving in Orlando. Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts stated that it is difficult to confirm's Lillard's status for the third Trail Blazers vs Lakers game. However, when Damian Lillard was asked about his status, he responded with a concrete "Oh, I'm playing."

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"It's just sore. A little bit tender to the touch," Lillard explained in a postgame interview. He added that he has never dislocated a finger before, and was not sure how it happened. However, he was sure it happened and kept trying to pull it back into place after he took a look at it. He explained that the staff at the NBA bubble had to put it back together for him, and he initially thought it was broken. Lillard admitted to his frustration because he had to leave and get it checked. 

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NBA playoffs: Trail Blazers vs Lakers series so far

AD double-double in 3 quarters 💪@AntDavis23's 31 PTS, 11 REB help the @Lakers win Game 2 and even the series 1-1! #NBAPlayoffs #LakeShow

Game 3: Sat. (8/22) - 8:30pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/jf65FGVhnH

— NBA (@NBA) August 21, 2020

With the Trail Blazers' loss, the series is now tied at 1-1. Lillard entered Game 2 after having led his team to a 100-93 victory, putting up a 34-point performance. He was averaging 36.6 points in 10 games in the NBA bubble and was unanimously voted the Bubble MVP. When talking about Game 2, Lillard said that he believes the game balances itself, and while some guys can have a "huge night" they can cool off later. " Sometimes you have a tough night on that end of the floor. Tonight, we had a tough night on the offensive end of the floor," Lillard pointed out. 

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(Image credits: Portland Trail Blazers Instagram)