New Zealand Breakers forward Anthony Lamb is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles that would rule him out for the remainder of the 2023-24 NBL season, sources told ESPN.
Lamb, the Breakers' star import, went down with the non-contact leg injury at the end of the first quarter of his team's Round 18 game against the Perth Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. When the injury occured, he immediately grabbed the back of his foot.
The preliminary evaluation from the Breakers' medical staff is a torn left Achilles, sources said. Lamb will undergo an MRI to confirm the extent of the injury when the Breakers land in New Zealand on Monday, source said.
"It doesn't look so good," Breakers head coach Mody Maor said, postgame. "We'll wait for the official report; it doesn't look so good."
It's a blow for the Breakers, who have dealt with a significant amount of injuries over the NBL season, and now look to have lost their leading scorer.
Lamb - who played with the Golden State Warriors last NBA season - is averaging 19.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Breakers, and was on track to be in the All-NBL First Team conversation.
The Breakers entered Sunday's game against the Wildcats with a fully healthy lineup for the first time this NBL season - Finn Delany made his return from a calf injury - but lost Lamb before the first quarter break.
Despite the injury, the Breakers would still go on to defeat the Wildcats 89-78 to move to 11-13 on the season as the team continues its push to make the play-in tournament.
In the absence of Lamb, the Breakers' other two imports took over the bulk of the production: Parker Jackson-Cartwright finished with 19 points and five assists, while Zylan Cheatham had a game-high 24 points.
The Breakers' next game is on Friday night against the Illawarra Hawks.