The Trail Blazers revealed Damian Lillard’s injury status Monday, officially ruling the star guard out for must-win Game 5 vs. the Spurs because of left Achilles tendon injury management.
With the Blazers facing elimination down 3-1 to the San Antonio Spurs, the nine-time All-Star Lillard is officially listed as out on the NBA injury report for Tuesday’s elimination game in San Antonio due to “Left Achilles Tendon; Injury Management.” Trail Blazers insider Sean Highkin confirmed the ruling on X at 3 p.m. Monday, writing simply, “Damian Lillard still ruled out for Game 5 tomorrow.”
The report closed the door, at least for one more night, on a potential playoff comeback that has consumed Portland’s fan base for weeks.
Lillard’s Achilles Still Keeping Him Sidelined
Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon on April 11, 2025, while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, one year and 16 days before Monday’s injury report. He signed with Portland in free agency last summer but has not appeared in a single game this season.
Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter offered no real optimism when asked about Lillard’s status after practice last week. The 13-year veteran would “probably not” play against the Spurs in this series, Splitter said, according to CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney.
“He’s the first one to get to the practice facility every day at 7 a.m., shooting a thousand shots, drills,” Splitter said. “That’s who Dame is. When he’s going to be ready to play, we don’t know.”
Lillard himself described a recovery happening almost entirely out of the public eye.
“A lot of my time is spent in the gym training-wise. A lot of it is spent in front of nobody,” he told Forbes’ DJ Siddiqi in March. He won the 3-point shootout at All-Star Weekend in February in his most visible appearance of the season. But competitive basketball has been another matter entirely.
Blazers Face Elimination Without Franchise Star
The medical timeline was always the central constraint. The American College of Sports Medicine estimates a torn Achilles demands at least eight to 10 months and up to 12 before a player safely returns to high-intensity competition. By the calendar, Lillard clears that floor. But he is 35 years old, and age reshapes those averages considerably.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who ruptured his Achilles after Lillard did, returned to action in roughly 10 months. Tatum is eight years younger. Any rushed return for Lillard carries consequences that stretch well beyond Tuesday night.
According to The Oregonian’s Bill Oram, Lillard has been described as “close” and a postseason return as “not impossible,” but any appearance would require going “deep, deep” into this series or reaching a later round. Portland must now win three straight games in San Antonio just to get there, a task they will begin Tuesday without the player who made the Moda Center famous for “Dame Time” moments in the first place.
At September media day, Lillard said he had “no plans” to play this season. The injury report confirms that position is still holding. For a Trail Blazers team on the brink of going home, the most famous number in franchise history, zero, won’t be on the floor when it matters most.
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