Report: Damian Lillard to Return for Game 2 or Game 3 in Bucks-Pacers Series

He's been sidelined since March 18 with a blood clot in his calf.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard dribbles the ball.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard dribbles the ball. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to get Damian Lillard back in the lineup either for Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday or for Game 3 on Friday next week, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday.

Lillard has been sidelined since March 18 with a blood clot in his calf. It was previously reported that he would be able to return at some point during the Bucks' playoff run, but he was ruled out for Saturday's Game 1.

The Bucks guard began full-contact workouts again on Thursday after he was cleared of his deep vein thrombosis in his calf and was taken off blood-thinning medication. It was an "unprecedented" recovery, according to the doctors close to the situation.

Lillard has yet to win an NBA title in his career, and he will now have a chance to help out his Bucks try to win their second championship in the last five seasons.

In 58 games this season, Lillard has averaged 24.9 points (the Bucks' second highest behind Giannis Antetokounmpo), 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game on 44.8% shooting from the floor.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.