Damian Lillard will miss the next 1-2 weeks with a right calf strain. This isn’t a new injury for Lillard, who sat out for four straight games a little over a week ago with a strain in the same calf. Lillard grabbed his lower leg and then walked back to the locker room during the third quarter of Saturday’s game.
An MRI on Saturday confirmed that Lillard did, in fact, suffer a strain in his right calf, but the strain is actually located in a different part of the calf muscle than his previous strain. While Lillard’s current strain isn’t exactly an aggravation of the previous injury, the earlier strain likely weakened the muscle, making it susceptible to further injury.
The Trailblazers announced that they expect Lillard to be out for approximately 1-2 weeks recovering from the strain. Lillard is likely dealing with a mild, grade 1 strain given the length of expected recovery time. Given that this isn’t Lillard’s first calf strain this season, or even this month, we would expect the Trailblazers to be extra cautious with Lillard’s return. The team may also keep a close eye on his minutes once he is back in the lineup.
