Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) gestures after a three-point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS — NBA All-Star guard Damian Lillard wanted to give the Milwaukee Bucks a lift Tuesday night.
So he called coach Doc Rivers in the morning and told him he would return for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series after missing the past month because of a health scare. Rivers didn’t argue with his team down 1-0.
Lillard gave it everything he could in Indianapolis, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting while playing 37 minutes in a 123-115 in a Game 2 loss.
READ: NBA: Siakam, Haliburton lead Pacers past Bucks for 2-0 lead
“It felt pretty good given the fact that I haven’t played in so long,” Lillard said. “Jumping back into a playoff game, I’d say it felt pretty good. I felt pretty solid.”
Clearly, he wasn’t himself after battling deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He only practice three times since last playing March 18 and couldn’t even do much cardio work to stay in game shape.
It showed.
While there were flashes of his pre-absence play, such as the 3 he made with 2:31 left to get the Bucks within 115-113, his explosiveness was not there. And he appeared to wear down in the second half when he was 1 of 7 from the field and 1 of 6 on 3s.
“I got a little winded, but I think everyone got a little winded,” Lillard said. “I wasn’t really thinking about if I was tired, it was just like I’m out here and I’ve got to do what I got to do.”
READ: NBA: Damian Lillard grateful as he nears playoff return with Bucks
Just getting back on the court this quickly was a major victory for Lillard, though.
The blood-clotting disorder usually keeps players out months, not weeks, something Rivers feared may happen after learning the ailment was more serious than the initial diagnoses.
Lillard even opted to take a little extra time to get his body back in shape for the rigors of the postseason.
Still, Rivers and Lillard said they would both be monitoring his health during the game and Rivers told reporters before the game he would pull Lillard out if he noticed fatigue. But when the Bucks needed a late push to get within striking distance of evening the series, Rivers thought it was better to keep his nine-time All-Star on the court.
READ: NBA playoffs: Pacers prepare for Bucks’ response in Game 2
That led to some late-game jawing between Lillard and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton as the Bucks lost for the fifth time in their last six postseason games against Indiana.
“Down the stretch I just kept him in, I used it sort of as conditioning,” Rivers said. “He was exhausted and I saw that, and I thought just let him blow it because we’ve got two days to recover. That’s basically why I kept him in.”
Game 3 is Friday in Milwaukee, and the Bucks certainly could use Lillard’s help — if he can be as effective as he was before being held out.
Lillard averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 35.5% overall and 38.9% from 3-point range in four regular-season games against Indiana this season. In last year’s first-round series, he averaged 31.3 points against the Pacers, who won the series 4-2.
READ: NBA: Bucks’ supporting cast struggles in Game 1 loss to Pacers
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed all six of those games with a a calf injury but scored 36 points and had 12 rebounds in Game 1 and followed that with 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists. It was the first playoff game Antetokounmpo and Lillard played together.
Now comes what could prove the harder part — protect their home court, clawing their way back into the series and avoiding a third straight first-round exit without knowing whether Lillard will be ready to play in Game 3.
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“The biggest question for us is the recovery,” Rivers said. “The trick is trying not to get him into that point of exhaustion because then it’s hard to come back. So that’s the trick we were doing tonight.”
