Bucks' Damian Lillard: Could return sooner than expected

The Bucks are hopeful that Lillard (calf) can resume taking part in basketball activities in the next seven to 10 days, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Lillard was viewed as out indefinitely after the Bucks announced March 25 that the star guard had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Though the 34-year-old is still without a definitive target date for a return, Charania's report suggests that the Bucks' optimism about Lillard's outlook has improved since he originally received the diagnosis. Since he's still at least a week away from resuming basketball activities, Lillard looks set to remain out for the rest of the regular season, but a return during the opening round of the playoffs could be in the forecast.