SALT LAKE CITY — Former Weber State star Damian Lillard has been ruled out of the Portland Trail Blazers’ must-win Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in their-first round playoff series because of a right knee sprain.
Lillard was hurt Monday in the third quarter of the Blazers’ 20-point Game 4 loss. The team announced Monday night that results of an MRI were inconclusive and that he would undergo another Tuesday. Yahoo’s Chris Haynes reported Tuesday that Lillard was unable to extend his right leg.
The five-time NBA All-Star was named the league’s Bubble MVP after he willed Portland to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Given that the Blazers are down 3-1 in their series to the top-seeded Lakers, Lillard’s season may well be done, as a Portland victory in Game 5 without him will be an extremely tall task.