Bucks’ Damian Lillard Confirms He’ll Play In Game 2 vs. Pacers

Lillard told reporters in Indiana that he plans to play in Game 2, though the Bucks officially listed him as questionable on the afternoon injury report. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Lillard participated fully in practice on Monday and went through scrimmages over the past two days, but stopped short of confirming his availability.

“He’s close. He looks great to me,” Rivers said.

The seven-time All-NBA guard was diagnosed late last month with the blood clot, a condition Lillard recently described as “scary.” He was cleared of deep vein thrombosis last week and began ramping up basketball activities shortly after. According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Lillard is listed with a “return to competition reconditioning” designation.

Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds this season on .448 shooting from the field and .376 from three-point range. He earned his ninth All-Star selection but fell short of the 65-game minimum required for postseason honors, appearing in 58 games.

Milwaukee struggled without him in Sunday’s Game 1, falling 109-94 and shooting just 24.3% from three-point range. The Bucks are hoping Lillard’s return will provide a needed spark as they attempt to even the series before it shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4.