Is Damian Lillard playing tonight vs Chicago Bulls? Exploring Bucks guard’s availability for Monday’s game (Dec. 23)

Damian Lillard is ruled out after being listed as doubtful on the Milwaukee Bucks injury report for Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. The Milwaukee guard has a right calf strain that kept him out of three straight matchups now.

Lillard initially showed some concern in his calf after Milwaukee’s Emirates NBA Cup semifinal win against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 14. He did suit up for the final on Tuesday, which the Bucks won 97-81 against the OKC Thunder. Lillard had 23 points in the win.

However, on Friday, Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said, via Sports Illustrated:

"I just know after the [NBA Cup championship] game, the next day basically, they told me that we needed him to sit for a minute, so we'll see. It didn't hurt during the game. We took him out once though. He looked like he was favoring it, but he wanted to go back in, but other than that, no."

When asked about Damian Lillard’s potential return date, Rivers said:

"I have no idea. My guess — I'm guessing like you guys — it's a strain. I don't think it's a severe one, but I think we're going to be cautious."

Before being sidelined with the injury, Lillard averaged 25.7 points, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 22 games.

How has Damian Lillard fared against Chicago Bulls?

In 25 regular-season games against the Chicago Bulls, Damian Lillard averaged 22.0 points, 7.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds. His best performance against Chicago came on Jan. 30 when he was still with the Portland Trail Blazers.

He led Portland’s 123-122 win with 44 points on 15-of-26 shooting, including 8-of-17 from the 3-point line. Lillard has an 18-7 winning record against the Bulls.

Where and how to watch Milwaukee Bucks vs Chicago Bulls?

The Milwaukee Bucks vs Chicago Bulls game will tip off at 8 p.m. EST from United Center. Local coverage of the game will be provided by Chicago Sports Network Plus and FanDuel Sports Network - Wisconsin. Fans can also stream it live on NBA League Pass and fuboTV.