The Milwaukee Bucks received some good news before Game 6: Damian Lillard is playing.
Lillard missed Games 4 and 5 of the Bucks’ first-round series against the Indiana Pacers due to right Achilles tendinitis. He aggravated the injury during Milwaukee’s Game 3 loss Friday.
The Bucks are 2-3 in the series and are on the verge of elimination heading into Thursday night’s game, which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Getting Lillard back for Game 6 could be huge for the Bucks, depending on his condition. In the first three games of the series, he was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 32.3 points per game. But after Game 3, coach Doc Rivers said Lillard told him he was unable to explode as usual during overtime because of the injury he suffered to his right leg during the game. one of the last plays of the fourth quarter.
If Lillard can be his normal self, it would be a huge boost for the Bucks, but they will have to monitor him throughout the game.
Milwaukee will continue playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the entire playoff series due to a left soleus (calf) strain suffered against the Boston Celtics on April 9.
Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo had a great practice Thursday morning, but the two-time NBA MVP couldn’t play in Game 6. In his absence, the Bucks will need Bobby Portis to step up again.
Portis filled Antetokounmpo’s spot in the starting lineup throughout this series and scored a career-high 29 points in the playoffs in Milwaukee’s Game 5 win to extend the series to the sixth game in Indianapolis.
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)