The Milwaukee Bucks will receive a significant boost as they look to even their first-round play-off series with the Indiana Pacers.

Damian Lillard will return Tuesday after being sidelined since mid-March due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, according to multiple reports.

Lillard last played on March 18 after being diagnosed with the blood clot, but is no longer taking blood-thinning medication and has been a full participant in practice since last Thursday.

His return should give Milwaukee's offence more versatility after the Bucks shot just 24.3 per cent on 3-pointers (9-of 37) in Saturday's 117-98 loss at Indiana in its play-off opener.

Lillard averaged 3.4 made 3-pointers per game during the regular season - the seventh-highest rate in the NBA.

Selected to his ninth All-Star Game this season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists - both 10th in the NBA - to go along with 4.7 rebounds and a career-high 1.21 steals in 58 games.

His return should also help take some of the offensive pressure off Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 36 points on 14-of-23 shooting (60.9 per cent) in Game 1, but had little help from his teammates.

The rest of Milwaukee's starting five totalled 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting (25 per cent).

BREAKING: Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard will make his return tonight for Game 2 against Indiana Pacers after dealing with a blood clot that sidelined him for over a month, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/Y8qhkbnVwO

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 22, 2025