The Milwaukee Bucks already had enough problems on their plate when it was reported that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would miss Game 1 of the 2024 Playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers due to a strained left calf that he suffered on April 9.
But, the bad eggs keep getting thrown in Milwaukee’s direction.
Milwaukee Bucks sit Damian Lillard from practice on Tuesday
Head coach Doc Rivers said on Tuesday that Damian Lillard was not a participant in Tuesday’s practice as well, something that the team’s medical staff had decided before the team took the court.
The all-star had played through a sore left adductor muscle in Orlando on Sunday, and had said he felt irritation during the game but pushed through. Rivers said that Lillard has gone through imaging for his adductor muscles, and “all that stuff so he’s good. I can tell you that.
“But we just have to – we felt like – and so did our doctors, let’s give him a little more rest. He’s still doing conditioning and things like that, but we went live a lot today and we just didn’t want him out there doing any of that. Or any of our guys, for that matter.
“We want him to be as close to 100% as possible, if you can be at this point.” Rivers told the media Tuesday.
Don’t hit the panic button just yet.
Bucks players like Bobby Portis aren’t worried about Lillard potentially missing Game 1, trying to keep the tempers down.
“To start off man, it wasn’t a shock or anything that Dame sat out, man.” Portis said. “It’s, what, Tuesday? And the game is Sunday. So that’s a long way away. So I don’t want nobody to put too much stress on that. I think we kind of blow things out of proportion too much.”
A Giannis Antetokounmpo Update
Everyone’s been wanting to know how Giannis Antetokounmpo is progressing after suffering a noncontact injury to his calf against the Boston Celtics. Due to this, he missed the final three regular-season games, sidelined with a boot on his foot.
As far as progress, Rivers said that he is “farther than we’d thought it would be. But just not ready yet.” He couldn’t say for certainty if Antetokounmpo would be ready to go for Sunday’s game.
He also made it a point to mention that both Antetokounmpo and Lillard might not practice at all leading up to the start of the postseason, and would be able to play without any practice should one or both get medically cleared.
“I’m not going to make a decision,” Rivers said. “First of all, I don’t make the decision- but our medical team is saying they don’t know, so I’m going to wait and see. I literally don’t know one way or the other.”
Until they know for certain, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to practice and prepare themselves to play without Antetokounmpo and potentially even Damian Lillard.
A lot is at stake for the Milwaukee Bucks as they look to hopefully make another championship run, but they have to all be healthy in order to play against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
For More Wisconsin Sports…
Follow me on Twitter at @sarahspooon and follow us at @WiSportsHeroics. You can also reach out to Sarah via email at sarahspooon@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! We cover the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and High School sports!
