Bucks-Pacers playoffs, Damian Lillard to return for Game 2: report
Damian Lillard (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard will return for Game 2 of the team's playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Bucks announced Lillard will be available for Tuesday night's game, but did not confirm whether he's expected to play.
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The backstory:
The team previously announced Lillard was medically cleared to play prior to Game 1 of the series, though Lillard did not take the court in the team's 117-98 loss in Indianapolis. Although he didn’t play, Lillard was on the bench and even got a technical foul late in the game after exchanging words with Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton during a timeout.
"We didn’t do a lot of live stuff today, but he did everything today," Rivers said after Monday’s practice. "He’s just progressing. He looks good."
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Lillard last played in a game on March 18. The Bucks announced a week later that he was dealing with DVT, an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.
While he was on blood-thinning medication, Lillard couldn’t do much from a basketball standpoint beyond shooting free throws, though he said specialists eventually permitted him to do some exercises such as lifting weights. Because of his lack of basketball activity over the last month, Lillard was going to need time to get himself playoff ready even after doctors cleared him.
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By the numbers:
The Bucks went 3-1 against the Pacers during the regular season, with Lillard playing each of those games and averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 35.5% from the floor and 38.9% on 3-point attempts.
Lillard appeared in 58 games during the regular season and ranked 10th in the league in both scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1) while earning his ninth All-Star Game selection.
What's next:
Game 2 between the Bucks and PAcers tips off at 6 p.m. in Indianapolis. Game 3 and 4 will be played in Milwaukee on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee Bucks, a report from ESPN's Shams Charania and the Associated Press.