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Shams Charania reported after Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals that Blazers star Damian Lillard has been fighting through separated ribs.
Portland Trail Blazers All-NBA star Damian Lillard has separated ribs and is playing through the injury, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Lillard shot 5-of-18 in Game 3 loss to Warriors.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 19, 2019
Charania reports that the injury was suffered in Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors, when Kevon Looney landed on Lillard during a battle for a loose ball. No foul was called on the play.
Here is the play where Damian Lillard sustained the reported rib injury pic.twitter.com/mwiwWg6oSX
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) May 19, 2019
Portland was leading 69-56 at the time of this incident. Afterward, Golden State came back, eventually winning by 3. Lillard struggled through an awful Game 3, shooting 5-18 for 19 points, as Portland gave up another big lead to fall to the Warriors. Lillard reportedly downplayed the injury as a reason for his performance.
A source confirmed that Damian Lillard has a separated rib but downplayed the impact of the injury on his performance. “Not a story, he always plays through injuries.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 19, 2019