Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard left Thursday’s 111-88 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter because of a dislocated left index finger.
X-rays on Lillard’s finger were negative, the team announced. Lillard, who scored 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes, did not return to the game.
Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after the game that it’s too early to know Lillard’s status for Saturday’s Game 3 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
When asked about his status for Game 3, Lillard responded, “Oh, I’m playing.”
Lillard appeared to injure his hand while reaching on defense during a drive to the basket by Lakers star Anthony Davis. Lillard was shaking his head and appeared frustrated as he left the sideline while being attended to by his team’s athletic training and medical staff.
Portland’s loss tied the best-of-seven series 1-1.
Lillard entered the game having carried his team through the seeding round and into the first-round series against the Lakers, the Western Conference’s top seed. He was averaging 36.6 points through 10 games in the Florida bubble, the most of any player there, and was unanimously voted the MVP of the bubble in recent days.
Lillard scored 34 points in the Trail Blazers’ Game 1 win over the Lakers on Tuesday.
