Damian Lillard Injury update: Milwaukee Bucks superstar ruled out against Indiana Pacers following calf injury

The Milwaukee Bucks have confirmed that Damian Lillard won't be available for Thursday night's game against the Indiana Pacers. This is due to a calf injury that has bothered him since he was with the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was questionable, will play.

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The Bucks are coming off a 120-118 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Lillard was the team's best performer with 34 points and three assists. The star point guard had to take on most of the scoring load for the team after Antetokounmpo was ejected early in the third period.

Last season, Lillard's calf bothered him during the latter half of the season. The Blazers were forced to shut him down and the team missed the playoffs. This gave the team a chance to get a lottery pick and draft Scoot Henderson.

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"Sources: The Portland Trail Blazers are leaning toward shutting down All-Star Damian Lillard for the season's final nine games," NBA insider Shams Charania reported. "The franchise is seriously considering taking precautions as Lillard deals with calf injury and the team is 3.5 games out of Play-In Tournament race."

The seven-time All-Star is slowly getting his rhythm on the court with the Bucks. Lillard is averaging 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

You might also be interested in reading this: “Character building win” - Custody case-embroiled Damian Lillard reflects on Bucks’ narrow triumph over Pistons

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Blazers coach thinks the team will reconcile with Damian Lillard

The conclusion of the Damian Lillard era in Portland wasn't how fans thought it could come down to. After 11 seasons with the team, Lillard requested a trade to a contending team. It was a long, grueling process that involved different other teams, centering on the Miami Heat.

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups believes that the two parties can find a reason to reconcile. But like most people, he isn't sure how soon it'll happen.

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"Sooner or later, talks will be had," Billups said. "Emotion will be down and that will heal itself. I really believe that.

"At the end of the day, what Dame did for the organization has never been done before. He’s gonna go down as the greatest. And also what this organization did for Dame was incredible. They had an incredible two-way relationship for the entire time."

The Blazers are focused on developing their young talent to make a return to the postseason.

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