The Bucks were hoping to extend their first-round series long enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo to return, but the two-time MVP was never close to being activated, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Antetokounmpo revealed on Friday that the left calf strain he suffered April 9 was still limiting him to the point where he could only run at about 30-40%. “I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t. I did all the tests I had to do, these like protocols you have to follow and have ..read more

After entering the season with hopes of claiming their second title in four years, the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, with superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo missing the entire series due to a calf strain. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, Milwaukee made plenty of changes to try to advance further in 2023/24, starting with firing Mike Budenholzer and trading for Damian Lillard. The Bucks also cut ties with Adrian Griffin, Budenholzer’s replacement, during the season, hiring longtime head coach Doc Rivers in Griffin’s place. Yet t ..read more

All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is set to come back just in time for Milwaukee’s must-win Game 6 in their ongoing series against the Pacers Thursday night, sources inform Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Lillard had been dealing with right Achilles tendinitis of late, which has forced him to sit out the Bucks’ last two contests, during which the club has gone 1-1. Indiana leads the series 3-2, so Milwaukee must win out to advance. All-NBA Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, will miss his sixth straight contest of the series due to a left calf strain, ac ..read more

Bucks forward Bobby Portis, who was ejected in the first quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 loss in Indiana, apologized to his teammates prior to Game 5, then matched Khris Middleton‘s game-high 29 points in Milwaukee’s home win on Tuesday, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I’m an emotional player, I wear my heart on my sleeve, I give my all every night and take pride of being available for my team,” Portis said on Tuesday. “Game 4, little scuffle, maybe crossed the line. I let my team down by getting ejected and not being available for my team. I owed them an apology for sure.” With Giannis Antetokounmp ..read more

The Pistons would be interested in Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly if Connelly exercises the opt-out clause in his contract with Minnesota at the end of the season, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post. The dispute between current Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore could cause Connelly to weigh his future in Minnesota. Connelly signed a five-year, $40MM contract with the organization in 2022. The Pistons announced after their season ended that they would hire a p ..read more

The Bucks are on the verge of elimination but it’s unlikely they’ll have their two best players available for Game 5 of their first-round series with the Pacers. The team is listing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard as doubtful to play on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm tweets. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played the entire series due to a left calf strain that he suffered late in the regular season. Damian Lillard missed the Bucks’ Game 4 loss on Sunday due to right Achilles tendinitis. Lillard averaged 32.3 points and 5.3 assists in 40.7 minutes during the first three games of the series. P ..read more

Trailing 3-1 in their series with Indiana, the Bucks‘ best hope for a comeback rests with the return of injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, writes Jim Owczarski of The Journal Sentinel. Both players sat out Sunday’s loss, but neither has been ruled out for the series, which resumes Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo, who has been sidelined since suffering a calf strain April 9, has been listed as doubtful for the first four games. However, there’s cause for optimism after the former MVP completed an intense workout Sunday morning. “It went well,” coach Doc Rivers sai ..read more

As expected, Bucks stars Damian Lillard (right Achilles strain) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) have been ruled out Sunday’s Game 4 in Indiana, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Both players had previously been listed as doubtful. Lillard has been dealing with pain in his Achilles tendon for a few weeks. While he said he was feeling much better entering the playoffs, he aggravated the injury in Friday’s Game 3, which Milwaukee lost in overtime. Antetokounmpo has been sidelined since April 9 due to a left soleus strain, which is one of the muscles in the calf. The two-time MVP had ..read more

After Shams Charania reported earlier today that Damian Lillard‘s availability for Game 4 of the Bucks‘ series with Indiana is uncertain, head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that the star guard is dealing with an Achilles strain, telling reporters that Lillard underwent an MRI. Rivers didn’t know the results of that MRI when he spoke to the media, but he indicated that he isn’t necessarily counting on having Lillard available on Sunday, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Not looking great, but we don’t know yet,” Rivers said. As for the Bucks’ other injured star, Rivers said tha ..read more

As we wrote earlier on Saturday, the Bucks‘ injury issues are getting worse before they get better, as there is serious doubt Damian Lillard will be ready for Game 4 against the Pacers due to an Achilles strain, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania, who adds that Lillard is currently in a walking boot, notes in a separate tweet that the eight-time All-Star played through significant soreness in his Achilles tendon in recent weeks, which was aggravated in the fourth quarter of Game 3. The Bucks are now facing the potential of being without both of their superstar ..read more