Bucks upgrade Damian Lillard to questionable for Game 2 at Indiana

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee's Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, another step forward for the seven-time All-NBA guard after missing the past month.

The Bucks had announced Thursday that Lillard was off blood-thinning medication and cleared for full basketball activity after dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The Bucks could use Lillard after they shot 9 of 37 from 3-point range in a 117-98 Game 1 loss at Indiana.

The injury report upgrading Lillard to questionable came out Monday after coach Doc Rivers already had spoken to reporters. Rivers said he didn’t know whether Lillard would play Tuesday but noted that 34-year-old had been making progress.

“We didn’t do a lot of live stuff today, but he did everything today,” Rivers said after Monday’s practice. “He’s just progressing. He looks good.”

Because the Bucks had two days off between Games 1 and 2, they returned to Milwaukee to practice before heading back to Indianapolis for Tuesday’s game.

Lillard last played in a game on March 18. The Bucks announced a week later that he was dealing with deep vein thrombosis, an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.

While he was on blood-thinning medication, Lillard couldn’t do much from a basketball standpoint beyond shooting free throws, though he said specialists eventually permitted him to do some exercises such as lifting weights. Because of his lack of basketball activity over the last month, Lillard was going to need time to get himself playoff ready even after doctors cleared him.

“I was able to be active and do some stuff and then I got cleared to be on the court, and I was able to do some hard workouts and do some conditioning and stuff like that,” Lillard said Friday. “So we’ll see. The moment that I feel good about it, I’m not going to be waiting and all of that. The moment that I feel I can go, I’m going to go.”

The Bucks went 3-1 against the Pacers during the regular season, with Lillard playing each of those games and averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 35.5% from the floor and 38.9% on 3-point attempts.

Lillard appeared in 58 games during the regular season and ranked 10th in the league in both scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1) while earning his ninth All-Star Game selection.

Although he didn’t play Saturday, Lillard was on the bench and even got a technical foul late in the game after exchanging words with Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton during a timeout.

Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, expects to be matching up with Lillard on the floor at some point in this series.

“It can happen at any time, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened tomorrow,” Haliburton said. “So we’ve got to be prepared for whatever that is, understanding that in the playoffs, it ain’t about individual performances, it’s about winning.”

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

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FILE - Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard shoots a free throw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, March 8, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

HONOLULU (AP) — A federal judge’s ruling clears the way for Hawaii to include cruise ship passengers in a new tourist tax to help cope with climate change, a levy set to go into effect at the start of 2026.

U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake on Tuesday denied a request seeking to stop officials from enforcing the new law on cruises.

In the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed legislation in May that raises tax revenue to deal with eroding shorelines, wildfires and other climate problems. Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually.

The levy increases rates on hotel room and vacation rental stays but also imposes a new 11% tax on the gross fares paid by a cruise ship’s passengers, starting next year, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Cruise Lines International Association challenged the tax in a lawsuit, along with a Honolulu company that provides supplies and provisions to cruise ships and tour businesses out of Kauai and the Big Island that rely on cruise ship passengers. Among their arguments is that the new law violates the Constitution by taxing cruise ships for the privilege of entering Hawaii ports.

Plaintiff lawyers also argued that the tax would hurt tourism by making cruises more expensive. The lawsuit notes the law authorizes counties to collect an additional 3% surcharge, bringing the total to 14% of prorated fares.

“Cruise tourism generates nearly $1 billion in total economic impact for Hawai‘i and supports thousands of local jobs, and we remain focused on ensuring that success continues on a lawful, sustainable foundation,” association spokesperson Jim McCarthy said in a statement.

According to court records, plaintiffs will appeal.

Hawaii will continue to defend the law, which requires cruise operators to pay their share of transient accommodation tax to address climate change threats to the state, state Attorney General Anne Lopez said in a statement.

The U.S. government intervened in the case, calling the tax a “scheme to extort American citizens and businesses solely to benefit Hawaii” in conflict with federal law.

FILE - A cruise ship, background, is docked in Honolulu, March 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)