MILWAUKEE – The return date of the star players for the Milwaukee Bucks as well as Los Angeles the clipper to the court is still unknown.

In their individual NBA first-round playoff series, they have so far managed to perform admirably.

It has been a month since Los Angeles’s Kawhi Leonard was sidelined due to soreness surrounding his completely repaired right knee, while Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo last played before hurting his left calf on April 9. When the Bucks look to start the game ahead of the Indiana Pacers 2 to 0 and the Clippers look to keep their home-court superiority towards the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, neither team has made any comments regarding their probable availability on Tuesday.

Prior to taking an unofficial day on Monday, Antetokounmpo had already been practicing for four days in a row, according to Bucks coach Doc Rivers. Antetokounmpo was listed as doubtful for Game 2 in the NBA’s injury report that was released on Monday night.

Leonard was listed as questionable after practicing without contacting the Clippers on Monday.
The Bucks, Clippers, and Phoenix Suns are without their franchise players, but Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are among those who are still in good health. In their attempt to stay ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves 2 to 0 throughout their first-round series, the Suns, however, are in a more vulnerable situation.

Booker was flustered into a 5-for-16 shooting performance in Game 1, which the Timberwolves won 120-95 on their home court.

The flop in Game 1 reminded Booker of Phoenix’s first-round home loss to the Clippers in the previous year’s playoffs. With a swift comeback, the Suns won the series in five games.
Minnesota has a 1 to 0 advantage. 2nd game, 7:30 p.m. TNT, EDT

TAKE NOTE: The Timberwolves relied on their league-best protection in Game 1, featuring Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker going above and beyond to help keep Booker and Beal largely quiet. The greatest margin of victory in the postseason for the team was their 52 to 28 rebounding advantages. Furthermore, they scored 33 points off of 22-year-old sensation Anthony Edwards.

The reserves of the Timberwolves. After breaking his left wrist in the 2023 postseason, Naz Reid—a nominee for the Sixth Man of the Year award—was unable to play. He and Alexander-Walker, the Suns bench’s reserves, were beasts off the bench as the latter team defeated the former 41 to 18.

INJURY: After shooting 0-for-3 from the field in the first twenty-five minutes of the Suns’ Game 1 against the Lakers, sharpshooter Dylan Allen was sidelined with a sprained right ankle. After colliding with Beal’s knee in the first game, Kyle Anderson of Minnesota sustained a hip pointer that kept him out of action for five minutes. On Monday, Anderson worked out.

Frank Vogel, the coach of the Suns, is under pressure. The Suns did not intend to make their roster changes during the previous season with the goal of winning it all in the postseason. Vogel and his staff will undoubtedly have some counterpunches prepared to go about restraining Edwards in addition to getting Booker running.

TAKE NOTE: Damian Lillard scored 35 of the points he scored in the beginning of the half to help the Bucks overcome Indiana 109-94 while limiting the Pacers to what was their lowest scoring output of the year. The Pacers have dropped their last ten postseason contests.

PUN INTENDED: Indiana generated a league-high 123.3 points per contest during the regular season, and the Pacers won four of their five regular-season games against Milwaukee because the older Bucks lineup was unable to keep up with them. On Sunday, the Bucks significantly improved their tempo management and limited the Pacers’ chances of transition.

BRING THE HEAT: Despite shooting just seven times and scoring just nine points in Game 1, the two-time being named an All- averaged 27 points per game versus the Bucks in the regular season. All of Indiana’s outside shooters are under pressure now that the Pacers only made 8 of 39 shots from three-point range on Sunday.