Damian Lillard is back.
The All-Star guard told reporters Tuesday morning at shootaround that he would play in Game 2 in Indiana that night, his first game in more than a month due to deep vein thrombosis in his calf.
Damian Lillard tells reporters that he is playing in Game 2 tonight.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 22, 2025
That Lillard can play at all so soon after being diagnosed with a serious condition is the important news, especially for Lillard personally. This can be a career-threatening (and, if untreated, life-threatening) condition. That he is back so quickly is a testament to the early detection and prompt action by the Bucks’ medical team, as well as the experts at the Mayo Clinic.
His return is also vital to the Bucks.
Lillard missed Game 1, when the Pacers tilted their defense heavily toward Giannis Antetokounmpo and made him work hard for everything. No other Bucks player stepped up (Kyle Kuzma was scoreless, for example), and as amazing as the Greek Freak was — 36 points, 12 rebounds — it was not enough, and the Pacers pulled away early and cruised to a Game 1 win.
Asking Lillard to come in cold after a month off and be that secondary scorer and shot creator in a physical postseason game is a big ask, but welcome to playoff basketball. Lillard averaged 24.9 points a game while shooting 37.6% from 3, plus adding 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game this season.
Milwaukee needs Dame Time starting tonight or they will fall into a deep 0-2 hole in this series. The fact that he is back gives Milwaukee a chance.
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