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I loved watching and hearing my guy Jared Greenberg do play-by-play for the Thunder-Kings game on TNT last night. He never once let it show that his hair isn’t quite as great as mine. Killer job!
Damian Lillard Out Indefinitely
Bucks star dealing with blood clots in leg
While much of the basketball world concentrated on Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami (more about this below!), some rough news for the Bucks broke: Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clots), which you might remember is the same thing that ended Victor Wembanyama’s season back in February. More details from the Bucks’ news release:
“In ensuring his health and beginning the process for a healthy return to play, Lillard is on blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the DVT, and will continue with regular testing.
“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority. We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”
While this is terrible news for the Bucks’ season and Lillard in the short term, it looks like it will be good long-term news for Lillard, based on general manager Jon Horst’s comments. Medication taking care of the condition and doctors indicating this is very unlikely to reoccur are fantastic news for Lillard’s health, and, less importantly, the future of his playing career.
Let’s answer some questions about what this news means overall:
Is Lillard’s season over? I would assume so. The Bucks didn’t give an actual timeframe, only mentioning a “weekly process of strict criteria” and “provide updates as appropriate.” The reporting before the Bucks’ statement came out said Lillard is out indefinitely.
How do the Bucks replace Lillard? Well, obviously, they don’t. Even with Lillard not looking like he did in Portland, they don’t have anybody to step in. I mean, they literally don’t have anybody. The guards left on the roster are basically Gary Trent Jr., Ryan Rollins, Pat Connaughton, Kevin Porter Jr. (guard/wing hybrid) and AJ Green. Porter is a decent playmaker, and Rollins can do it a bit. But the Bucks (40-31) don’t really have another guy to step in and run the point. Porter will probably get first crack, and I’d expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to get the majority of the playmaking onus.
How have the Bucks done without Lillard? Since the trade deadline, the splits with and without Lillard have been interesting. Take these numbers with a grain of salt, but the Bucks are outscoring opponents by 0.4 points per 100 possessions in 605 minutes with Lillard on the floor. Basically, it’s a coin flip. When Lillard is on the bench, the Bucks are outscoring opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions in 451 minutes. Lillard has missed five games. The Bucks are 4-1 in those matchups. 
What’s the battle the Bucks are currently in? The Bucks are both chasing the Pacers (42-29) for the No. 4 seed and trying to hold off the Pistons (41-32) for at least the No. 5 seed. They’re two games behind Indiana but hold the tiebreaker. Milwaukee is 2-0 against Detroit and has its last two games of the season against the Pistons. That will likely decide seeding.
The Last 24
Knicks owner revolting against league office
Time to fight. James Dolan has been in a battle for two years … with the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver.
Power Rankings! We’ve got a team rising in the East. Are the Pacers the conference’s third-best squad?
Wait, what? Sacramento State is hiring Mike Bibby as its basketball coach. Is this a good idea?
Who ya got? On today’s NBA Daily, Es Baraheni states his surprising case for this season’s Most Improved Player.
Playoff influencers. The “No Dunks” crew drops the eight biggest postseason X-factors. None are bigger than Jamal Murray.
Don’t miss this game tonight. Lakers (43-28) at Pacers (42-29), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or Fubo (try it free!). Both teams are battling for home-court advantage in their respective conferences.
League Pass gem Clippers (40-31) at Knicks (45-26), 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass (get it here!). Can LA stop New York’s offense?
About Last Night
Heat get revenge in Jimmy Butler’s return
We went into the night of Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami with the Warriors with a fiery comment from Butler, via Taylor Rooks on the TNT broadcast. In regards to Heat president Pat Riley, Butler had this say:
“I have nothing to say to Pat, and Pat better have nothing to say to me.”
Yes! That’s the kind of drama we’re here for! We were expecting fireworks! We were expecting passion! We were expecting boos from the fan base, no matter what time they showed up to the arena! What we got was … a butt-kicking by the Heat. They housed the Warriors, 112-86, and it really wasn’t much of a game after halftime. The Warriors cut it to single digits late in the third quarter, but the Heat weathered the storm to be up by 13 heading into the fourth quarter.
A Warriors team without Steph Curry just couldn’t give Butler a close game to try to play here. He finished with 11 points on 12 shots. Rookie Miami center Kel’el Ware was the star of the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds and this fun highlight:
Our own James Jackson was on the scene and can tell us about the energy in and around the arena:
Tuesday’s energy felt … weird? Of course, Butler’s return to Miami had been circled on NBA calendars since his trade to Golden State last month, but what stood out was how much Butler and the Heat seemed ready to just get everything over with: the actual game, tribute video, question-asking, etc.
Before the game, Butler embraced former Heat teammates Kevin Love and Terry Rozier without having much – OK, nothing – else for anyone else on Miami’s side. Just ahead of tipoff, the Heat showed a Butler tribute to acknowledge his five-plus seasons with the franchise, but the crowd’s applause wasn’t as strong as its boos, if you heard applause at all. It didn’t feel like a celebration for a franchise legend who led two NBA Finals runs. Then again, though, Butler’s departure wasn’t even two months ago. (and, as a reminder, it was really ugly!)
By the end of the game, Butler didn’t shake hands with anyone on Miami before retreating to the locker room, though he did share kind words about his time with the Heat in his postgame comments. Erik Spoelstra, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo recognized Butler’s impact but didn’t want to overemphasize the meaning of Tuesday.
Throughout the matchup, Heat fans booed Butler each time he touched the ball, but that was the extent of any bad energy about Butler’s return to Miami. Otherwise, the game’s energy (and scoreboard) reflected a countdown to just getting everything over with sans added drama.
Given how things between Butler and the Heat ended, that was probably the best-case scenario anyway.
More from last night’s action!
After a 111-104 win over the Hornets, the Magic (35-38) are creeping on the No. 7 seed and sit just a half-game behind Atlanta (35-37). Paolo Banchero had 32 points. The Hawks lost 121-114 to the Rockets.
Karl-Anthony Towns (26-12-11) and Josh Hart (16-12-11) marked just the 20th time in NBA history teammates had triple-doubles in the same game. Hart broke Walt Frazier’s Knicks single-season record for trip-dubs with his ninth. The Knicks beat the Mavericks, 128-113.
Thanks to a 121-105 win over the Kings, the Thunder reached 60 wins in their 72nd game, tying the eighth-fastest pace to the mark. Sacramento (35-37) is tied with Phoenix for ninth but has the tie-breaker.
The Grizzlies (44-28) moved up to fourth in the West with a 140-103 win over the Jazz (16-58). Memphis outscored Utah 76-38 in the second half as Jazz fans googled if Cooper Flagg is serious about a second season at Duke.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
Bounce Passes
JuJu Watkins’ ACL tear is a major bummer
Late Monday night, USC’s 96-59 win over Mississippi State couldn’t really be celebrated because a fear was realized: The news came down that the terrible-looking knee injury suffered by star JuJu Watkins was indeed an ACL tear. Kiki Iriafen’s 36-point effort in Watkins’ absence (the latter played five minutes) was great, but arguably the biggest star in women’s college hoops and college basketball in general was done.
This doesn’t crush the women’s tournament, but it stinks. It’s deflating for sure. So many of us wanted to see Watkins build toward pushing the Trojans to a title run after an Elite Eight appearance last year. And the stars were aligning for a Watkins-Paige Bueckers showdown in the Elite Eight this year.
Our own Sabreena Merchant had a great explainer of the ACL injury in general. I decided to check in with injury expert Jeff Stotts. He offers up great insight on social media whenever there’s a big injury, and his website offers up further analysis.
Is there anything in what you saw or have read/heard about this ACL tear that makes you think JuJu might (or should) miss next season with her recovery?
Stotts: “The timing of the injury is the biggest limiting factor for next season. The average recovery is between nine to 12 months, which all but guarantees she misses a majority of next year.”
Potentially dumb question: Is there typically a difference in the ACL recovery for male and female athletes?
Stotts: “ACL protocols are essentially the same, though some intrinsic factors can influence individual recovery. Multiple studies have suggested recovery is tougher for females and research has identified several factors (biomechanics, hormones, etc.) that make females likely more susceptible to an ACL injury in the first place.”
Whether we see Watkins in a USC uniform again next season or wherever she ends up as the top pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft (she’s still the one), we hope for a speedy and full recovery. I can’t wait to watch her hoop again.
(Photo: Sam Navarro / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
