Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been cleared of his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer on blood-thinning medication.
The Bucks did not disclose a timeline for Lillard's return Thursday, saying the veteran guard will "continue to increase his on-court basketball activity. Lillard will not play Saturday for Game 1 of the Bucks' playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, sources told ESPN.
"We're thrilled for Dame," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "Our priority has always been Dame's health. We're grateful to our medical team for diagnosing and treating his DVT at an early stage, and for the world-renown hematology specialists at Mayo Clinic. Every step of Dame's recovery has been at the direction of world-class medical professionals and their specific and strict protocols that have allowed for Dame's safe and healthy return to play."
Doctors have told Bucks officials that the speed of Lillard's recovery has never been seen before, but it occurred because of early treatment, detection and specialists working on him before a formal diagnosis, according to sources.
"This could have been career threatening," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Thursday. "Or it was. The fact there's a very good chance he's going to play in the playoffs for us, that's a godsend."
Lillard last played in a game March 18. The Bucks announced a week later that Lillard, 34, had deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and was undergoing blood-thinning medication.
Deep vein thrombosis is an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.
Rivers said earlier this month that he was optimistic Lillard would return at some point, but acknowledged that the team also was prepared for the nine-time All-Star to miss the rest of the season.
Lillard was averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists before being sidelined for Milwaukee's final 14 games of the regular season. The Bucks went 10-4 in those contests and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps and The Associated Press contributed to this report.