With three minutes to go in the Portland Trail Blazers’ final game before the All-Star break, Damian Lillard suffered a groin injury and walked straight to the locker room without consulting teammates, coaches or the medical staff. Without him on the floor, Portland proceeded to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies and fall four games back on the eighth seed.
Although the All-Star break provides more than a week off, there is no indication that Lillard will be ready by the Blazers’ first game back on Friday. Groin strains have sidelined some of the NBA’s best for extended periods; LeBron James missed 17 games and Steph Curry missed 11 with similarly labelled ailments in the last four years.