Bucks’ Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton injury updates for Thunder game

Damian Lillard has suited up in the Bucks’ past four games, with Milwaukee ever so importantly winning their last two crucial contests that came against the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. Lillard is even coming off a strong 29-point night in an 18-point victory over the Magic. However, it doesn’t look likely that Lillard will be suiting up against the Thunder.

Currently, the Bucks have Lillard listed on the injury report as “doubtful” to play due to left adductor soreness. Lillard missed three straight games from March 30 to April 3 due to groin pain, and it looks as though this is continuing to linger for the star point guard.

It’s not quite clear how the Bucks are approaching matters of seeding; they can lock up the two-seed with a single win, but there might be a chance that Milwaukee prefers to lose out and have the New York Knicks move past them in the standings.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat loom as potentially very difficult first-round matchups for a Bucks team that currently has Giannis Antetokounmpo’s playing status for the first round of the playoffs in doubt. Meanwhile, either the Magic or Pacers are likely to finish sixth in the conference. Facing those two teams may be what the Bucks prefer even though they may have had their fair share of difficulties against the Pacers this season.

Khris Middleton injury status vs. Thunder

The past two seasons have been rough for Khris Middleton on the injury front. Middleton began the season on a strict minutes restriction, but he seems to be trending up exactly when the Bucks have needed him to. He has been taking on a heavier workload as of late, which may be the reason why he is listed as “questionable” on the injury report, so they could manage his ankle injury.

Given how important keeping Middleton healthy is amid uncertainty regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s no surprise that the Bucks are exercising caution with the veteran forward. Damian Lillard is already unlikely to play in a difficult matchup against the Thunder, so it makes sense if Milwaukee ends up holding Middleton out as well to completely punt their upcoming contest.

Both Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis are listed as “questionable” on the injury report as well, with the reason for both of them being “rest”; this should give an even greater idea for how the Bucks will approach their game against the Thunder.

Malik Beasley may be tasked to shoulder as big of a workload on offense as he can if the Bucks’ key guys end up resting against OKC.