Malik

Beasley

Lillard is out on the court for his pregame warmup, which was encouraging for his chances of playing. Now Haynes has reported that Lillard will be back after missing Games 4 and 5. Milwaukee defended their home court without him on Tuesday, and now he will try and help them extend the series on the road. Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to remain out, but if Lillard can help them stay alive, he could return as soon as Game 7. Malik Beasley will likely return to the bench for this game.

Lillard appears set to miss his second consecutive playoff game. Malik Beasley will likely fill in for the star point guard alongside Patrick Beverley.

As expected, Milwaukee’s two superstars will remain sidelined for Game 5. The Bucks will try to remain alive by securing a home win in this one, with Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis likely to remain in the starting unit.

Lillard missed Game 4 after fighting through his Achilles injury in Game 3. However, the Bucks point guard is on track to miss a second consecutive game. Malik Beasley will likely slide into the starting backcourt if Lillard is ruled out again.

The Bucks are without Damian Lillard (Achilles) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), with the former aggravating a previous injury during the Game 3 overtime loss. Beasley moves into the starting lineup, with Portis continuing to fill in for Giannis.

Lillard, who has been dealing with Achilles soreness for a few weeks, aggravated the issue during Friday’s Game 3 defeat. Unfortunately, he continued to struggle with the injury, ultimately being used as a decoy during the overtime period. In addition to being doubtful for Game 4, Lillard was seen wearing a walking boot on his left foot. Malik Beasley, Pat Connaughton, and AJ Green would be in play for additional minutes if he cannot play.

Middleton was able to play 36 minutes in Game 2 despite injuring his ankle in the first quarter. However, Doc Rivers said that there is “a little” concern about Middleton’s availability for Game 3. If he is forced to sit out, Jae Crowder, Malik Beasley and Pat Connaughton should all have to take on extra minutes.

Lillard’s absence isn’t surprising considering he received a doubtful tag on Thursday. In his absence, Milwaukee will likely employ a platoon approach to fill his vacated minutes. Patrick Beverley, Pat Connaughton, Malik Beasley and Khris Middleton are all candidates for additional minutes. With Giannis Antetokounmpo also out of action, it’s all hands on deck for Milwaukee, as the team battles for playoff position.

Having dealt with a sore left hip earlier this week, Lillard is back on the injury report with a sore left adductor. While Milwaukee has not locked up the 2-seed yet, ensuring their available stars stay healthy in the aftermath of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calf injury is a clear priority. Malik Beasley should remain in the starting lineup if Lillard sits.

With Khris Middleton sitting for injury management reasons, Beasley returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench on Tuesday. He didn’t offer much more than usual, hitting a few 3-pointers while doing a solid job on the boards. Patrick Beverley, who replaced Beasley in the starting lineup, was more productive against the Magic, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Milwaukee has two games remaining on its schedule, and its magic number to lock down the 2-seed in the East is one.