Trail Blazers Star Damian Lillard Out “1-2 Weeks” with Calf Injury

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard will be out at least 1-2 weeks after suffering a calf injury against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. The injury, described as a “calf strain” took him out during the third period of Portland’s loss to the Heat. He did not return to the game. In post-game interviews, Lillard seemed to downplay the seriousness of the event.

Now Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that, serious or not, the injury will mandate a 1-2 week recovery period, after which time Lillard will be reevaluated.

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks with a calf strain, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

It’s worth noting that the Blazers have only one game scheduled between Lillard’s Wednesday night injury and the following Wednesday. If a single week is the timeline for recovery, one game would be the extent of his absence. The addition of “2 weeks” and the word “re-evaluated” add a bit of uncertainty to the mix, but there’s no indication where on the scale his recovery will fall.

Lillard has been leading the 4-1 Blazers throughout the early weeks of the season, having returned to All-NBA form after sitting out most of last year, rehabilitating after surgery to correct a chronic abdominal issue.

The 32-year-old has averaged 31.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 35.0 minutes per game over 5 starts for the Trail Blazers so far this season. He is shooting 49.5% from the field and 39.2% from the three-point arc, well above his 40.2% and 32.4% averages from last year.

The Blazers face the Houston Rockets tomorrow night at 7:00 PM, Pacific. It’ll be their first test this year without Lillard in the lineup, perhaps their only one for now.

Update:

The Blazers have confirmed the story and the timeline.