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The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks are set to square off this weekend to open the NBA playoffs. This is a rematch between the two teams from last season where Indiana dispatched the Bucks in six games.
Entering the series, there was thought that Bucks star point guard Damian Lillard wouldn't be able to play. But now, there is some optimism for Milwaukee that he will be able to do so.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that there is some level of optimism that Lillard could be cleared to play at some point during the playoffs. Lillard has been out for weeks due to a serious blood clot issue.
Shams: Bucks optimistic Damian Lillard (blood clot) will be cleared to return at some point during playoffs.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 13, 2025
Lillard has an upcoming exam to determine clearance for postseason play.
More must-reads:
- Former NBA champion shares shocking opinion on Luka Doncic
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- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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Analyst Believes Kings Will Trade Star Player if They Land Warriors' Young Forward in Free Agency
LA Lakers have inside track to sign 2x All-Star in new buyout deal, it would complete their roster
Which former player will the Warriors reunite with?
The Golden State Warriors are the only NBA team not to make a free-agent signing or trade this summer. They've got their eye on some familiar faces when they finally do make moves. While the Warriors haven't made any moves thanks to the uncertainty surrounding Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency, they have targeted certain players for when their young forward's situation finds a resolution. Al Horford is widely believed to be headed to Golden State, while the team is also expected to bring back 27-year-old guard De'Anthony Melton, who tore his ACL playing for the Dubs in November. That's not the only reunion that GM Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors are considering. According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, the team and Seth Curry have "mutual interest" in the sharpshooting guard joining his brother on the Warriors. While he never played for the NBA team, Curry spent his first professional season as a member of the G League Santa Cruz Warriors. At the time, the Santa Cruz backcourt featured the younger Curry and Klay Thompson's older brother, Mychel Thompson. Seth Curry played 68 games for his hometown Charlotte Hornets last season, averaging 6.5 points while shooting 45.6 percent on three-pointers. The Warriors were only 16th in the NBA last season in three-point percentage (36.4 percent), even though they attempted the second-most threes and employ Curry's brother, the most prolific three-point shooter in NBA history. The Warriors roster sits at nine players right now. They can expect three of those spots to go to Horford, Melton and Kuminga — or a player coming back in a trade for Kuminga. That leaves one spot under the 13-player minimum, which could go for offense with Seth Curry. Or, they could go for a more defensive-minded reunion. Gary Payton II remains unsigned, after a season where he made $9.1M while playing 62 games, starting 11. He averaged the same 6.5 points Seth Curry did, but shot 32.4 percent on threes. Of course, Payton is still considered an excellent defender, though he's slowing down at age 32, something that's never been said about the younger Curry. The resolution to the Warriors' offseason of uncertainty likely lies in players coming back. The Warriors still believe they can offer Kuminga the most money, even if he's unhappy with his role on the team. Melton seems like a lock to return. The final piece may depend on which flawed former player the team wants to bring back to the organization.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love’s Action Causes Teammate to Get Yanked From Drill
It appears that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is getting better at one area, particularly when it comes to the hard count. He had success last week with his hard count when he got both Nate Hobbs and Edgerrin Cooper jumping on separate occasions. Love, who is entering his third season as the Packers’ full-time starting quarterback, continues to work on his game and polish areas where improvements can be made, and mastering the hard count seems like one of the items he is focused on in the training camp. It can also be recalled that he talked about the hard count back in the 2023 OTAs as an “emphasis that I’ve been trying to just build and keep working.” Green Bay offense takes friendly fire over Love’s hard count On Monday, Love drew another offside because of his hard count, but not at the expense of the defense. Via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic: “Love got Hobbs to jump with his hard count last week. On Monday, Love got another Packers newcomer to jump on the hard count. The only problem for Love is that it was his own left guard. Banks flinched right before defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt and was booted from the drill for Jacob Monk.” Getting familiar with Love’s cadence is a challenge for the Packers’ offensive line, as the team definitely doesn’t want to see the QBs hard counts resulting in penalties for the offense instead of seeing the same intended result for the opposing defense.
Report: Bengals draw hard line in Trey Hendrickson contract talks
Cincinnati Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson has been holding out from training camp as he seeks a new contract, and it does not sound like the two sides are all that close to a deal. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on "SportsCenter" Monday that there has been "some progress" in negotiations between the Bengals and Hendrickson's representatives over the past week or so. The real disagreement has to do with guaranteed money, and Cincinnati's brass is not budging. "Hendrickson wants a stronger guaranteed structure, particularly later in what should be a multiyear deal. In talking to people with the Bengals they feel like, 'Hey, we've probably relented as far as we can go.' So this is a classic stare-off right now, and it's time to buckle up," Fowler said, via Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report. Hendrickson is set to earn $16M in base salary in the final year of his contract this season. He recently said he has shown a willingness to take less than market value on a new deal, but the Bengals do not want to guarantee him money beyond the 2026 season. Based on what he has said, the 30-year-old Hendrickson is not seeking to become the highest-paid defensive player in football. In order to accomplish that, he would have to top the three-year, $123M extension T.J. Watt signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Hendrickson had 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which was the most in the NFL during that span. He had 17.5 sacks each season and finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. The Bengals took care of one major offseason issue on Sunday when they finally signed first-round pick Shemar Stewart to a rookie deal. All it will take is one side to budge in the team's ongoing stalemate with Hendrickson, but all parties seem to be dug in as training camp rolls on.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
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