Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard returned to practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s practice with a sore left abductor. Lillard didn’t do any heavy workload in practice.
Milwaukee will not be practicing on Thursday, but they will be practicing on Friday and hopefully, Damian Lillard can do more at practice. Game 1 of the series against the Indiana Pacers will not begin until Sunday, April 21. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told the media on Wednesday about Lillard being available for Friday’s practice by saying:
“I’m assuming. I would be surprised [if he doesn’t practice]. I’ll put it that way.”
It is huge that Lillard will be available for Game 1 on Sunday because Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for the start of the series for the Bucks with a calf injury. If Damian Lillard for some reason was not available on Sunday, that would be a massive blow for Milwaukee to start this series against the Indiana Pacers.
However, Lillard did not play last Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but for some reason played against the Orlando Magic this past Sunday.
If Milwaukee Bucks Damian Lillard Does Not Practice On Friday It Could Spell Trouble For Game 1 On Sunday
If Lillard were not to practice on Friday because of his injury, that would be bad news for the Bucks and would question his playing status for Game 1. Damian Lillard played in 73 games this season for Milwaukee. He averaged 24.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 7.0 APG.
Lillard has been an effective scorer throughout his NBA career, especially when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was 16th in the NBA this season in points per game and ranked 10th in the NBA this season in assists per game and that is something that can not be overlooked with him.
If Lillard misses Game 1, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis Jr. are going to have to step up in the scoring department. A starting lineup for the Bucks without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo could possibly be Middleton, Portis Jr., Patrick Beverley, Brook Lopez, and Malik Beasley.
That is something that the Bucks did not imagine when this season started but yet here we are. If Lillard does return to practice on Friday, it would provide a sigh of relief for this fanbase for now. However, if it doesn’t happen, his Game 1 status should be questioned.
Injuries have plagued this franchise in the NBA playoffs over the last couple of seasons. This is nothing new to them, they just have to overcome adversity to make a deep playoff run.
