Damian Lillard's return puts pressure on Pacers

Lillard hasn't played since March 18, when he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and started taking blood-thinning medication. Now Lillard is off the blood thinners and preparing to return for the playoffs.

That's great news for Lillard and bad news for the Indiana Pacers, who host the first two games of the series Saturday and Tuesday. Those might be the only games where they'll avoid Lillard, who has eight days to ramp up his conditioning before the series returns to Milwaukee April 25.

Last season, it took the Pacers six games to dispatch the Bucks in the first round, even though Lillard missed two games and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play at all. If the Bucks can steal a game in Indianapolis with Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. filling in, the Pacers will have to win at least one game in Milwaukee against a reinforced Bucks team.

Rollins and Porter haven't been bad with Lillard out. Combined, they're shooting over 50 percent and averaging 25.1 points over the last 14 games that Lillard had missed, along with 8.6 assists against three turnovers. That's not as good as Lillard, but it's competent point guard play.

It's rare for the Bucks to be a playoff underdog in a playoff series during the Antetokounmpo era, as they are this year. That means the pressure is on the Pacers, and that will only ramp up the longer the series goes.