Bucks Upgrade Damian Lillard Injury Status Ahead of Game 2

Ahead of Game 2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers provided an update on the status of star guard Damian Lillard. Rivers said that he still wasn't sure whether Lillard would be able to play, but added that the star guard looked good.

“He’s close. He looks great to me.”

Asked about Damian Lillard’s availability for Game 2, Doc Rivers said he didn’t know if Lillard would be available, but said he looks good.

Rivers said Lillard practiced today and he’s gone through live scrimmages the last two days.

“He’s close. He looks great to me.” - Rivers
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 21, 2025

The Bucks star has been out while he deals with a serious blood clot issue. Milwaukee has missed him on the court, but it seems that he could be making his return sooner rather than later.

Lillard has now been upgraded to questionable ahead of the game. The Bucks released their injury report ahead of Game 2.

Here is the Bucks injury report for Game 2 on Tuesday:

Out:
Tyler Smith (Left Ankle Sprain)

Questionable:
Damian Lillard (Return to Competition Reconditioning)
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 21, 2025

There was some hope about Lillard returning to the court for either Game 2 or Game 3. With him being upgraded now, it seems to be a good bet that he could take the floor for the second game of this series.

If the Bucks can get Lillard back for this game, it would be massive in terms of their chances. Milwaukee was run out of the building in Game 1, so they will be looking to even the series.

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Lillard opened up about the injury just before the start of the postseason.

"Obviously there's people with way worse issues than I've dealt with, so I don't want to be dramatic about it, but you just never know when something could come up and change your life," Lillard said Friday. "It's been guys like Chris Bosh who dealt with this and then it's another issue and it could be a career-ending thing, so I think you just can't take days and opportunities and things in your life for granted."

It remains to be seen if Lillard will play in Game 2 against the Pacers, but his presence would be massive for this Bucks team. It could take Lillard some time to get fully back into playing form, but the Bucks star would provide a massive spark to a team that desperately needs it.

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