Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo: Buck’s game-time decisions for NBA playoffs Game 6 vs. Pacers
Doc Rivers said both stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo were game-time decisions for Thursday.
After defeating the Indiana Pacers 115-92 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, the Milwaukee Bucks managed to salvage their season, and it appears that help is on the way. According to numerous rumors, Damian Lillard, who had been sidelined for the previous two games due to an Achilles ailment, will return for Game 6 against Indiana.
Doc’s thoughts on Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Bucks coach, Doc Rivers, stated that both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo were thought to be game-time choices two hours prior to Thursday’s tip. “Giannis is more doubtful than Damian, but both had great workouts today,” Rivers stated.
Lillard’s status was changed to questionable in the team’s injury report on Thursday afternoon, and Antetokounmpo—who is out for Game 6 due to a calf strain—was declared out. Both players were marked as doubtful on the Bucks’ injury report from Wednesday night.
Will Giannis play game 6
Due to a calf strain he sustained on April 9 during one of the team’s last regular-season games, Antetokounmpo has not participated in any postseason games. Although Shams Charania stated that it would take him two to four weeks to return to the court, the Bucks have never made an official timetable announcement. The three-week mark would have passed by the time of Game 6 on Thursday.
Why isn’t Damian Lillard playing
Lillard, on the other hand, has missed the last two games after aggravating his Achilles injury again in the final seconds of regulation in Game 3. Although it’s important to note that Lillard missed many days of practice before to the series due to an Achilles injury, the Bucks have reluctant to provide any kind of timeline for him.
Rivers seemed much less confident about his star combo prior to the Bucks’ game-winning victory in Game 5. “Antetokounmpo did not do much during shootaround,” Rivers stated at his press conference prior to the game. “I went shooting once more. Did more after I departed, but I was blind to it. Dame took no action.” Lillard did eventually go out for a little shooting practice on the court prior to the game.
Whether Antetokounmpo or Lillard will be available for Game 6 is tough to anticipate with any degree of certainty due to the lack of clarity throughout this process and the nature of these particular ailments.
The Bucks have demonstrated they can compete with the Pacers despite clearly wanting their two best players back. They dominated a large portion of Game 4 before losing steam in the second half and winning easily in Game 5. It remains to be seen if Milwaukee’s supporting cast can muster another similar effort in a road game that has to be won, but it is certain that the Bucks will not go down without a fight.
