How Damian Lillard blood clot absense impacts Knicks' playoff path

03/27/2025 11:56 AM

The New York Knicks are still hoping to land an ideal playoff path, whatever that looks like. And considering how much seeding remains in question with limited time before the start of the playoffs, every potential matchup must be examined. Sadly, that includes looking at the Milwaukee Bucks without Damian Lillard.

The Knicks’ recent loss hurts—but Bucks suffered a bigger one 

New York blew a 14-point, first-half lead against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. But fortunately for them, the Indiana Pacers were upset by the Los Angeles Lakers at the buzzer, leaving their three-game lead over the fourth-seed Pacers unchanged.

But the real news came on Tuesday, when ESPN reported that Lillard was diagnosed with a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis). Lillard is on blood-thinning medication and will remain out of action indefinitely, which likely means he’ll miss the playoffs.

Without Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks are down a major weapon. Known for late-game heroics in what has become known as "Dame time", Lillard remains a significant scoring threat.

Milwaukee dropped to the sixth seed with a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. And while they can retake the fifth seed (or higher), they seem destined for the spot they're presently in.

The Knicks are still without star point guard Jalen Brunson. And while he will likely return sooner than later, it is virtually impossible for them to overtake the Boston Celtics for the second-seed.

Ironically, the Knicks and Bucks play a head-to-head matchup on Friday in Milwaukee. The Knicks appear set to enter the game missing not only their starting point, but also Cam Payne, according the SNY's Ian Begley. Payne was officially pulled at halftime on Wednesday night due to a right ankle sprain.

Speaking of ankles, Giannis Antetokounmpo is also less than 100% — and he could also miss Friday’s game. Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks' Wednesday night loss against the Nuggets due to a sprained left foot.

Season series reveals why Knicks should hope for Bucks matchup

So, Friday won’t reveal much. But the other two matchups this season — both wins for New York — reveal more. New York won the first matchup by 22 points and the second by a whopping 34. The Knicks held the Bucks to an average score of 100 points per game — and that was without Mitchell Robinson.

Further, the Knicks’ star duo of Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns significantly outplayed the Bucks’ duo of Lillard and Antetokounmpo. Towns scored 32 and 30 points in the two matchups, and Brunson scored 15 points (with nine assists) and 44. Conversely, Lillard scored 19 and 22, and Antetokounmpo tallied 24 in each game.

While this is never something to hope for, the fact that Lillard will likely miss the series makes a Knicks-Bucks first-round matchup all-the-more alluring. More than most other playoff teams, New York must hope to make quick work of their first-round opponent. The Knicks starters have logged more minutes than any starting unit in the NBA, according to NBA.com. And while Brunson is getting rest (for an injury, which is squarely not how you want your star to rest), the team’s starters are probably more run down than most competing teams. Thus, a matchup with the Bucks could facilitate additional rest given their vulnerabilities. Whereas a series against the Pistons or Pacers would probably go a bit deeper.

Knicks’ remaining schedules presents challenges

On the whole, New York has the seventh-hardest remaining schedule. With 10 games left, the Knicks play four games against non-playoff teams — all of which should be wins. They also have potentially contentious matchups with the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice) and Boston Celtics; the Knicks are winless this season against those teams and hope to figure out how to beat either or both opponents. New York also plays Detroit once more.

The Knicks must hope that they can remain in the third-seed and the Bucks stick to the sixth-seed. While it might sound petty or like New York is hoping for an unfair competitive advantage, they wouldn’t be the first team to benefit from  beaten up playoff opponent — remember how the Pacers benefitted from a banged up Knicks team last year?

But the Knicks can’t control much other than their schedule. If they take care of their business, the third-seed is theirs for the taking. The rest is out of their hands. Either way, they’ll have to execute in the first-round and beyond just the same.

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