The Milwaukee Bucks will be without point guard Damian Lillard of Oakland, California for the rest of the 2024-25 National Basketball Association after being diagnosed with a deep vein thombrosis. According to Jeremy Hanna of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, he has a blood clot in his right calf.
Lillard has not played since March 18, when the Bucks lost 104-93 to the Golden State Warriors. The initial injury diagnosis was a calf strain, but after further testing, it was determined that the ailment was a lot more serious. Lillard has since been put on blood thinning medication.
In his last game with the Bucks against the Warriors, Lillard had 16 points, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 38 minutes. An All-Star for the ninth time, Lillard played 58 games for the Bucks in 2024-25. He averaged 24.9 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard also had a field goal percentage of .448, three point percentage of .376, and a free throw percentage of .921.
There were high expectations for the Bucks heading into the season. Lillard was supposed to accompany Giannis Antetokounmpo and make Milwaukee into a NBA Finals contender. The highlight of their season was the NBA Cup which they won in December.
Now a top six finish in the East for the Bucks will be a challenge. The Bucks are presently fifth in the Eastern Conference. They have a record of 40 wins and 31 losses for a winning percentage of .563. Milwaukee also has won only four of their last 10 games.
