On Sunday night, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics to drop to a 2-8 record. Through 10 games, the Bucks own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, only behind the 2-9 Toronto Raptors. Now, to make matters worse for the Bucks, they will be shorthanded for Tuesday night’s game against Toronto. In an official post on their X account, the Bucks announced that star guard Damian Lillard suffered a concussion and will miss at least one game due to the injury.
Damian Lillard (concussion protocol) is out for tomorrow’s game.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 12, 2024
NBA insider Chris Haynes also revealed that Lillard suffered the injury in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics. Additionally, he mentioned that “there’s a possibility” Lillard can make his return for Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
Sources: Damian Lillard received hit to head near end of third quarter against Celtics on Sunday. Experienced headaches and dizziness today. Tests confirmed a concussion. There’s a possibility he could be cleared by Wednesday’s game against Pistons.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 12, 2024
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Suffers Injury, Will Miss Tuesday’s Game
Damian Lillard’s Season Before the Injury
In his second full season in Milwaukee, the 34-year-old is aiming to bounce back from a disappointing campaign last year. Through 10 games, Lillard has played well. He is averaging 26 points while shooting 44.4% from the field and 34.8% from the three-point line. Additionally, he is averaging 4.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1 steal per game. While not MVP-caliber numbers, Lillard is filling up the stat sheet every night. Unfortunately for him and the Bucks, this is not translating to wins.
The Bucks currently stand in the bottom half of the NBA on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Their 111.5 ORTG ranks 20th in the league, whereas their 116.6 DRTG ranks 22nd in the league. Things are not going well for the Bucks through the first few weeks of the season as they struggle at every aspect of the game on the court. However, they should be getting some reinforcements at some point in Khris Middleton, who is recovering from an ankle injury.
With Lillard sidelined for at least one game, Giannis Antetokounmpo will assume an even larger role on the offensive side of the ball. He is currently averaging a league-leading 31.6 points per game and is continuing to look like an MVP candidate. Until Lillard gets back, nearly all of Milwaukee’s potential success relies on “The Greek Freak.”
The Last Word
The Bucks are in a tough spot, but there is still a lot of basketball left on the schedule. Furthermore, once they get fully healthy, the Bucks will have a great opportunity to prove they can still be dominant. However, until that happens, it is important for the team to stay afloat, which is something they have failed to do. Regardless of their early-season shortcomings, the Bucks still have a great duo in Lillard and Antetokounmpo. Furthermore, they were the No. 3 seed in the East just one season ago. It may not look like it now, but the Bucks are still a top team on paper. Whether they can flip the script by the end of the season remains unknown, however.
