Is Damian Lillard playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on 8x NBA All-Star's status (February 9)
Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks will look to get back on track when they host the Charlotte Hornets, who have one of the worst records in the league this season. However, the superstar guard could be unavailable after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.
The Bucks have yet to release their injury report, as they were playing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, and there's still uncertainty on whether Lillard will be good to go vs the Hornets. He's listed as day-to-day, per ESPN.
Without the All-Star guard, Milwaukee suffered a blowout 129-105 loss to the Timberwolves and have won only once in six games. They are on a three-game losing skid and tied for third with the New York Knicks, with a 33-19 record.
"You go through this. Hopefully, we'll be better (Friday) and hopefully we get guys back," said coach Doc Rivers (via NBA.com). "You want to win games and you want to be healthy so you can win games. Sometimes you have to go through stuff to get stuff."
What happened to Damian Lillard?
Damian Lillard has dealt with injuries to his calf, leg and ankle. None of them has kept him out of the lineup for a long time, though.
Lillard has appeared in 47 of the Bucks' 52 games this season, averaging 24.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 34.7 percent from beyond the arc.
If the seven-time All-Star nominee is out on Friday, he will miss only his sixth game of the season. The earliest he could return could be in the home game vs the reigning champions Denver Nuggets (36-16) on Monday.
Damian Lillard's stats vs Charlotte Hornets
Damian Lillard has faced the Charlotte Hornets 21 times and averages 23.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He scored 27 points in Milwaukee's first game of the season against Charlotte on Nov. 17, with the Bucks winning 130-99.
How to watch Hornets vs Bucks game?
The game between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks tips off at 8:00 pm ET. International fans will have the opportunity to watch it on NBA League Pass. For local fans, Bally Sports Wisconsin and Bally Sports Charlotte will broadcast the game.
This will be the second time the two teams will collide this season. After their first meeting on Nov. 17, they face each other three times in the next three weeks. Charlotte has lost nine straight games and is 13th in the East, with a 10-40 record, and is expected to miss the playoffs for another season.