The Portland Trail Blazers, already reeling from three consecutive playoff losses to the Los Angeles Lakers, are now awaiting word on the status of their best player.
Damian Lillard, who suffered a dislocated finger in Game 2, left Game 4 on Monday with a right knee injury and did not return. The injury occurred late in the third quarter when the five-time All-Star performed a jump-stop on a drive to the rim.
>> Game 5: Lakers vs. Blazers, Wednesday (9 ET on TNT)
Lillard underwent an MRI following the game, but the team announced the results were “inconclusive,” and that a second MRI would be performed Tuesday afternoon.
The results of an MRI of Damian Lillard's right knee tonight were inconclusive. Lillard will undergo a second MRI on Tuesday afternoon in Orlando.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 25, 2020
The Blazers’ All-NBA superstar surged into the playoffs after being unanimously named the Kia NBA Player of the Seeding Games, an eight-game stretch in which he averaged 37.6 points and 9.6 assists while shooting 43.6% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Since the Blazers’ stunning Game 1 win over the Lakers, however, Portland has faltered under the weight of a rejuvenated L.A. squad and mounting injuries. Recently returned forward Zach Collins was ruled out of the playoffs after a stress fracture was discovered in his ankle. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, has been playing with a fracture in his back.
The Lakers could close out the series with a Game 5 win on Wednesday (9 ET, TNT).
