NBA: Giannis, Dame ‘very, very, very close’ to return

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard might be improving but Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers might not have the two stars in the starting lineup for Game 6 of the best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

Rivers said Tuesday night his injured All-Star tandem was “very, very, very close” to being available and would work out Wednesday. But the team listed both players as doubtful on Wednesday afternoon.

Antetokounmpo (left calf) has missed the entire series and Lillard (right Achilles) had missed the past two games.

Milwaukee beat the Pacers 115-92 in Game 5 to force another must-win situation Thursday night in Indianapolis. The Pacers own a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

If Antetokounmpo and Lillard both suit up for the Bucks, it would be the first time that they’ll take the court together in nearly a month.

Antetokounmpo injured his calf in an April 9 victory against the Boston Celtics, when a postgame MRI exam revealed a strained muscle.

Lillard strained his Achilles in a 121-118 overtime loss in Game 3 and said he sprained his knee — but returned — in the first half of that game. Lillard said he “couldn’t move” before Game 4.

Without the All-Stars in the lineup for Game 5, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis scored 29 points apiece to push the series back to Indiana.

Myles Turner said the Pacers might have missed an opportunity on Tuesday with the Bucks talking about the potential return of their superstars. Head coach Rick Carlisle reminded his players that the ball is still in their court.

“I don’t think we were playing with the kind of intensity we needed to even when we had the lead,” Carlisle said. “We paid the price for it.”

–Field Level Media