Bucks’ Damian Lillard confirms NBA Cup championship status due to calf injury

Milwaukee Bucks fans must be relieved to hear Damian Lillard’s status for Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After sitting out Monday’s Bucks practice with a calf injury, Lillard spoke to the media and confirmed his status for the game.

“It was just some discomfort … I’ve been getting treatment to get ahead tomorrow,” Lillard said, via ClutchPoint’s NBA insider Brett Siegel. “I know I’m playing.”

Lillard has only missed three games but hasn’t missed any NBA Cup action. In the two games, he has 28 and 25 points respectively. His perimeter game has complimented Giannis Antetokounmpo beautifully. The two-man battle between Antetokounmpo and Lillard has unlocked NBA Cup success thus far.

Both can play off each other. Lillard’s perimeter-centric game opens up space for Giannis to attack the paint. Not to mention, role players have progressed nicely. Bobby Portis, AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. have also complimented the dynamic duo. The Bucks will also need Lillard for all 48 minutes against a nasty defensive Thunder team.

Damian Lillard’s presence is doing wonders for the Bucks

Although stats pop, it’s Lillard’s presence that has outdone the Bucks during their NBA Cup run. As mentioned before, the two-man play with him and Antetokounmpo is impressive. But his game has risen to another level. He is average a career high of 7.5 assists per match. Not all of them are going to the Greek Freak. He spreads the love to his teammates.

Luckily for Milwaukee, they’ve built in a theme for the entire run. Unfinished business. Lillard was 100% genuine about the Bucks mantra before moving on to the championship game. Getting to the final game doesn’t mean the point guard wants to miss it. Even though he is injured, he will play through. After a 2-8 start, the Bucks are peaking at the right time. They are using this momentum like crazy.

Also, if the Bucks secure the NBA Cup championship, it will leave an incredible mark on assistant coach Darvin Ham. He has not lost a single cup match. After all, the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the inaugural trophy last season. Even though it’s on the sidelines, Milwaukee will keep its mantra of unfinished business through the final game.

For Lillard, he will hope to navigate the league’s best defense in a winner-take-all atmosphere. His experience, shooting and established chemistry with Antetokounmpo and his teammates could be the deciding factor in lifting the NBA Cup trophy.