The Milwaukee Bucks have been without star guard Damian Lillard since March 18. After sitting several games with what was termed a calf strain, he was suddenly announced out indefinitely with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a type of blood clot, in that same right calf. He missed the final 14 games of the season.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have been playing well without him, finishing the regular season slate on an 8-game win streak. Based on the latest report, they will have to continue doing so in their first round rematch with the Indiana Pacers.
Damian Lillard Continues Making Strides, Not Ready for Return
Tuesday afternoon, the team tweeted an update on Lillard’s injury status:
UPDATE: Damian Lillard has made significant improvement on his deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He will continue to increase his on-court basketball activity.
“Damian’s most recent weekly scan shows that his injury has significantly improved which will enable him to move ahead safely with increased basketball activity,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “Damian’s health remains our No. 1 priority. We have followed strict protocols and will continue to do so. We are pleased with the positive news about Damian’s progress.”
The team will continue to provide updates as appropriate.
In the immediate aftermath of the diagnosis, it seemed a safe assumption that Lillard would miss the rest of the season, as blood clots of his kind tend to require several months to clear up. Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama saw his season end due to DVT in his shoulder.
Earlier in April, however, Doc Rivers delivered some encouraging news, indicating that the team was hopeful Dame could return well ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, it appears that he will remain out for at least the first few games of Milwaukee’s first round series.
Can Milwaukee Hold Off Pacers Long Enough To Get Dame Back?
Although the update is disappointing overall, Bucks fans should be encouraged by the fact that Lillard is continuing to make steady progress toward full recovery. The announcement is better, at least, than a vague statement providing no real information on his condition. That the team even committed to future updates is a positive sign.
That said, the Bucks will need to hold the fort down against Indiana to have a chance at getting Dame back before the series wraps up. Having him on the court in an elimination game would improve their odds substantially. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, at 1:00 PM ET. If the series goes six or seven, dragging on to the end of the month, Milwaukee could get a boost of Dame Time late in the series.
Even without him, though, the Bucks have more than a puncher’s chance. Against Indiana in the regular season, they won three of four games. Easily it could have been a clean sweep; the Pacers needed a four-point play from Tyrese Haliburton in the final seconds of their only win, a 115-114 stunner. Four days later, Milwaukee took the teams’ final meeting by a score of 126-119.
Of course, the Bucks had Lillard for each of those matchups, but he shot poorly in two of them for just 23 combined points. While Dame’s absence cannot be minimized, the emergence of Kevin Porter Jr., acquired at the deadline from the Clippers, has injected the second unit with a dynamic dose of playmaking. Bobby Portis has showed no signs of rust since returning from his 25-game suspension, averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in 28 minutes per contest across three games.
Moreover, the Bucks can count on having the best player on the floor in every game via Giannis Antetokounmpo–something they didn’t have in their first round loss to the Pacers last season, when Giannis missed all six games injured.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Bucks are five-point underdogs for Game 1 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. To win the series, DraftKings lists Indiana as -200 favorites with Milwaukee as +160 underdogs. Splitting the first two on the road would go a long way toward staging an upset.
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