Bucks say Damian Lillard has deep vein thrombosis in his right calf

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Bucks say Damian Lillard has deep vein thrombosis in his right calf

2025-03-26 10:55 Last Updated At：11:00

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard will likely be sidelined indefinitely, with the team announcing Tuesday night that he has deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is taking blood-thinning medication.

The Bucks provided the update on the seven-time all-NBA guard’s status without offering a target date for his potential return. Lillard has missed the last three games for the Bucks, who close a five-game trip Wednesday at Denver.

Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel.

“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”

The Bucks said Lillard’s medication has stabilized the thrombosis and that he will continue with regular testing.

Lillard, 34, is the second high-profile player to be sidelined this season because of DVT.

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs was diagnosed with it in his shoulder after he returned from the All-Star Game last month and was quickly ruled out for the season. He, like Lillard, is on blood-thinning medication, but doctors have assured the Spurs that there is no concern for Wembanyama’s long-term health.

Such cases have affected NBA players before, including Hall of Famer Chris Bosh — whose career was cut short after he was diagnosed with blood clots while playing with Miami. Brandon Ingram, now with the Toronto Raptors, had his 2018-19 season end early because of deep vein thrombosis when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Detroit’s Ausar Thompson had a clot issue that saw him miss the end of the 2023-24 season.

DVT typically develops in the lower leg, so the diagnosis of it in Lillard’s calf is not uncommon.

This injury puts on hold a season in which Lillard earned his ninth All-Star Game selection. He was ranked 10th in the NBA in assists (7.1) and 11th in scoring (24.9).

His situation raises the possibility that the Bucks could open the playoffs without one of their two superstars for a second straight season. Milwaukee went out in the first round of the playoffs for a second consecutive season last year when a calf injury prevented two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from playing at all in a 4-2 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks (40-31) are in a virtual tie with the Detroit Pistons (41-32) for fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, two games behind fourth-place Indiana (42-29). The top four teams in the conference earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

AP Pro Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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Lauren Betts is nearly perfect to lead UCLA past Ole Miss 76-62 and into Elite Eight

2025-03-29 13:39 Last Updated At：13:42

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Lauren Betts was so dominant inside that she barely missed, scoring 31 points on 15-of-16 shooting to lead UCLA past Mississippi 76-62 on Friday night and sending the Bruins to the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.

The 6-foot-7 Betts added 10 rebounds and three blocks for the No. 1 overall seed, which will face LSU on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. The Tigers beat N.C. State 80-73 earlier Friday.

UCLA coach Cori Close called Betts a “generational player.”

“She’s not only dominant for herself, but she makes everybody on the floor better. And so you just want to put the ball in her hands as many ways and as many times as possible,” Close said.

Kiki Rice added 13 points and seven assists and was the only other player in double figures for the Bruins (32-2).

Tameiya Sadler scored 14 points for the fifth-seeded Rebels (22-10), who had reached the Elite Eight five times, but not since 2007.

Betts had a similar line — 30 points and 14 rebounds — in the Bruins' second-round 84-67 victory over Richmond.

“We’ve worked so hard to get here and I’m just so proud of the selflessness,” Betts said. “I think that to get to this point, it doesn’t matter who’s having their best game, it’s just getting wins at the end of the day. It took a lot of grit from everybody tonight, but I’m so proud of this program.”

Betts is one of just three players to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament in the last 25 seasons.

Ole Miss beat Baylor on its home floor to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in the past three years. In 2023, the Rebels upset Stanford in the second round before falling to Louisville.

“When I look at the season, no one wanted us here, and no one thought we would be here. And we’re still here," Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “We got this far, but unfortunately, we ran into a tough team tonight and did not prevail. But at the end of the day, we will continue to build."

Betts' layup put the Bruins ahead 19-10 in the opening quarter, but Ole Miss closed within 21-19 on KK Deans' jumper.

Deans' fast-break layup at the end of the first half got the Rebels within 30-29 at the break.

The Bruins opened the second half with an 8-0 run and went up 45-33 on Londynn Jones' 3-pointer.

Gabriela Jaquez was all alone on a fast-break layup that put UCLA up 63-46 in the final quarter, and Ole Miss never threatened after that.

UCLA’s only two losses this season came against JuJu Watkins and Southern California before the Bruins got their revenge in the Big Ten Tournament final, beating USC 72-67.

“Honestly, I feel like ever since our loss to SC, I’ve just completely changed my mindset going forward. I think just being aggressive, no matter what, and doing whatever I need to do to help my team and just continuing to be positive regardless of what happens,” Betts said.

The Trojans will also play in Spokane, facing Kansas State on Saturday. It will be their first full game without Watkins, who tore the ACL in her right knee during the first quarter of a 96-59 second-round victory over Mississippi State.

There were not enough superlatives for Betts' performance. She scored 16 of UCLA's 30 first-half points, the second time this season that she's scored more than half of the Bruins' points in a half.

She finished the game with a plus-23 rating, the highest of any player. And the Big Ten's defensive player of the year now has 93 blocks this season.

Last year, UCLA lost to LSU 78-69 in the Sweet 16. Now the Bruins have a chance at revenge.

“We expected to be in this position and it’ll be a good opportunity for all of us who were on the team last year because LSU’s the team that knocked us out,” Rice said. “So obviously want to come out, play hard and play really well against them.”

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