Damian Lillard was away from his Milwaukee Bucks for a little more than a month due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
He was back with the Bucks on Tuesday night, hoping to help them secure a much-needed win over the Indiana Pacers.
He helped, but it wasn’t enough, and the Bucks fell again.
Following the game, Lillard talked with ESPN about how it felt to be back on the court after a month of sitting courtside.
“It felt pretty good, given the fact that I haven’t played in so long,” Lillard said. “Jumping back into a playoff game, I’d say it felt pretty good. I felt pretty solid.”
Lillard posted 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting during his 37 minutes on Tuesday.
He clearly has some rust to shake off, which is understandable because he wasn’t able to work out much during his time off.
His medical situation meant that he had to undergo testing and treatment and a lot of that prohibited him from working out hard.
That means he is just getting back into the swing of things, which is unfortunate because the Bucks really need his assistance.
They are now down 2-0 as the series heads back to Milwaukee.
They are in a very deep hole, one that most teams don’t climb out of, but they are hopeful they can change the direction of the series with the next game.
As for Lillard, he will keep monitoring his health, but wants to remain a vital part of the team’s rotation now that he’s back.
He will get used to playing again and, ideally, perform with more energy and impact in Game 3.
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