Pacers Playoff Seeding Could be Heavily Affected by Damian Lillard Injury

The Damian Lillard injury has heavy seeding implications for the Pacers.

Mar 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have been playing some excellent basketball lately. They have won six of their last seven games, and the only loss was a buzzer-beater tip-in loss to the Lakers.

Indiana continues to play good basketball because they are finally healthy. During their record-setting performance against the Wizards, they had a clean injury report for the first time in months.

Being healthy is the most important thing for a team this time of year. There are just a couple of weeks before the playoffs, so having a healthy team is great for Indiana.

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One team that is not healthy is the Milwaukee Bucks. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and has been ruled out indefinitely.

That injury has major implications not only for the Bucks but also for the Pacers. This injury significantly hinders Milwaukee's chances of getting the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana now has a two-and-a-half-game lead over the Bucks for the fourth spot, which would give them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

While the Pacers are still trying to chase down the Knicks for the third spot in the East, they feel good that they will be able to stay ahead of the Bucks for the fourth spot.

With Lillard likely out for the rest of the season, Detroit is now the team that the Pacers have to worry about the most overtaking them for fourth. Indiana still has a two-game lead over Detroit.

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Lillard's injury likely means that the Bucks will be sixth in the Eastern Conference standings when the season ends. That means that if the Pacers can catch the Knicks for third, they will be facing Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs.

That would be an ideal scenario for Indiana. Taking on a banged-up Bucks team for the second straight year is what they should be hoping for.

Indiana doesn't have the easiest schedule left. They have to face Oklahoma City, Denver, and Cleveland twice. That makes it a lot tougher for them to catch New York.

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