The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have to deal with Damian Lillard as they look to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in Wednesday’s Game 5. A second MRI taken on Tuesday confirmed a right knee sprain for Lillard, keeping him out of Game 5 and likely for the rest of the series.
Lillard suffered the right knee injury on a drive with 7:31 left in the third quarter and exited the game shortly after. The first MRI was deemed inconclusive on Monday night. The Blazers were fearing the worst and luckily for them, as well as NBA fans, the worst appears to have been avoided.
The Lakers have their own potential injury issues, as Anthony Davis left Monday night’s blowout win in the second half and didn’t return. With Lillard no longer suiting up, it may give the Lakers a little bit more freedom to rest Davis with the hope that LeBron and the rest of the crew can send the Lillard-less Blazers home without him.
