Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers (Getty Images via AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, battling an abdominal injury, will miss the NBA club’s next three games, the team announced Wednesday.
The 31-year-old American, a six-time NBA All-Star, will undergo further evaluation and consultation regarding a nagging abdominal tendon issue. He missed five games a month ago with the injury, similar to one he faced early last year.
Lillard will be sidelined for games Wednesday against Miami, Friday against Cleveland and Sunday against Sacramento before being re-evaluated next week.
Lillard ranked 11th in NBA scoring with 24.0 points a game this season and 10th in assists with 7.3 per contest while also pulling down an average of 4.1 rebounds over 29 starts.
At 14-22, the Blazers rank 12th in the Western Conference. They are chasing a ninth consecutive playoff berth, having reached the 2019 Western Conference final. But Portland has also been ousted in the first round in four of the past five seasons.