LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Portland’s star guard Damian Lillard confirmed Sunday that he’s playing with painful separated ribs and wore protective padding in the Trail Blazers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Lillard told reporters he was hurt in game two of the NBA Western Conference finals against the defending champion Warriors, speaking about it after the injury was reported by The Athletic.
“I don’t think it’s something that’s affecting my game,” he said. “It’s there but it’s not something that’s affecting anything that I’m doing.
“Obviously you feel it, but that’s it,” added Lillard, who said he could feel the injury when he was breathing hard or when he absorbed contact on his left side.
The injury occurred in the third quarter of game two on Thursday, when the Warriors’ Kevon Looney landed on top of Lillard in a scramble for the ball.
With Golden State again swarming him defensively on Saturday, Lillard connected on five of 18 shots from the floor to finish with 19 points in defeat.
The Warriors took a 3-0 series lead and the Trail Blazers will be trying to fend off elimination when they host game four on Monday.
© Agence France-Presse
