Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard has a right calf strain and will be sidelined for a “brief period,” The Athletic reported Sunday.
He left the third quarter of Portland’s 118-113 home loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday after scoring 13 points in 27 minutes, despite 2-of-14 shooting. He added seven assists. He did not return.
The Athletic said the team and Lillard will be “extremely cautious” with the injury and will take however much time he needs before returning to action.
He left the team’s game against the Miami Heat on Oct. 26 with a right calf strain and missed four games. The Athletic report said this injury is in a different location from the previous strain.
Lillard is averaging 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 11 games this season. He was limited to just 29 games in 2021-22 because of an abdominal injury.
The 32-year-old has career averages of 24.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 722 games, all with Portland. The Trail Blazers selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
The Trail Blazers begin a four-game road eastern road swing beginning Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
–Field Level Media