The Bucks are a big positive! Lillard's form upgrade is expected to make a G2 comeback: or help his brother equalize the overall score

On April 22, Beijing time, the Bucks officially updated the injury report, and Lillard's status in G2 has been upgraded to a doubtful appearance (50% likely). There is no doubt that this is a major positive for the Bucks, who are trailing 0-1 overall.

Lillard has been sidelined since March 19 with a blood clot in his right calf and missed the first playoff game of the Bucks vs. Pacers, which saw the Bucks lose 98-117 to the Pacers. After eliminating the deep vein thrombosis and stopping taking blood-thinning medications, Lillard participated in his first full workout on Friday. Deep vein thrombosis is an abnormal blood clot in a blood vessel that, when blood clots, blocks blood flow back to the heart.

Shortly before the Bucks officially announced Lillard's status upgrade, head coach Doug Rivers said he wasn't sure if Lillard G2 would play. Bucks reporter Eric Nemm reported that Lillard participated in today's team practice and has also participated in the team's practice games over the past two days. Rivers also said: "Lillard is very close to coming back. In my opinion, he is in great shape. It is reported that Lillard's training intensity has been increasing in recent days.

Previously, Shams reported that Lillard could return in G2 or G3 and said that doctors have informed Bucks officials that Lillard's recovery has never been seen before. This is due to early treatment, timely detection, and the availability of specialists to treat him before the official diagnosis. Even before the blood clot was diagnosed on March 26, Lillard was already taking blood-thinning medications.

In the 2024-25 season, Lillard was named to the All-Star team for the ninth time in his career. This season, he is averaging 36.1 minutes per game, contributing 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three-point range and 92.1 percent from the free throw line. Lillard was expected to be named to the NBA All-NBA Team for the eighth time, but he was not selected due to the league's requirement of 65 appearances (the 34-year-old has played in just 58 games this season).

In the first game of the series, the Bucks clearly missed Lillard's presence and were eventually defeated by the Pacers by a big score. If Lillard can return, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost for the Bucks, especially on the offensive end. In the opening game of the series, the Bucks scored just 98 points and shot just 9 of 37 from three-point range at a 24.3 percent shooting percentage.