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On Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks got some positive news regarding star point guard Damian Lillard. Lillard has been out of the lineup for several weeks with a blood clot, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported some optimistic news regarding a potential return during the NBA playoffs.
“Milwaukee's Damian Lillard has been cleared of his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer on blood-thinning medication, sources tell ESPN,” reported Charania on X, formerly Twitter. “Lillard is out for Game 1 Saturday against Indiana and will have a period of time to resume contact workouts and ramp up for return.”
As Charania referenced in his report, the Bucks are currently gearing up for a first round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers in the four vs five matchup of the Eastern Conference. It's a rematch of last year's series between the two teams, which Indiana won after both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up missing significant time.
This year, the Bucks will have Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, but there was skepticism about whether or not Lillard would be able to return from something as serious as a blood clot in time for the postseason. Deep vein thrombosis was also what sidelined San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama midway through his Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
While Lillard will need some time to ramp up for his return, it's certainly a great sign for the Bucks (and of course for Lillard on a personal level) that he is now off the medication and cleared of the ailment. If Lillard can return at any point during the series, it could tilt the odds in Milwaukee's favor.
The Bucks and Pacers will get things underway with Game 1 in Indiana on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM ET. The game will be carried nationally by ESPN.
