Milwaukee and Indiana kick off their Central Division showdown Saturday. But the Bucks still will be without star Damian Lillard. Will he return?

The NBA playoff schedule is set for the Eastern Conference with all but the No. 8 seed being locked up. One of the more compelling NBA playoff series is the No. 4 seeded Indiana Pacers taking on the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Ausar Thompson, the Detroit Pistons’ high-flying 22-year-old wing, was diagnosed with a blood clot in March 2024 and did not return to the court until November. Chris Bosh, who played with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and retired in 2019, had a pulmonary embolism before eventually being diagnosed with DVT.