Is Damian Lillard playing tonight vs the Indiana Pacers? Latest injury update from Milwaukee Bucks (November 9) 

The Milwaukee Bucks will play their eighth game of the season on Thursday, Nov. 9, when they face the Indiana Pacers. Indiana has started their season strong. Rick Carlisle's team has been boosted by multiple players taking a step forward in their individual development, thus strengthening its roster.

Milwaukee will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back. They faced the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Nov. 8, securing a 120-118 win. At the time of writing, Damian Lillard is expected to suit up against the Pacers. He will be coming into the game on the back of a 34-point scoring night against Detroit.

Lillard has hit the ground running for his new team. He's averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in his first seven games, shooting 40% from the field. The superstar guard is giving Milwaukee an elite second option next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it's creating serious mismatch opportunities in pick-and-roll actions.

Adrian Griffin has also instilled some additional physicality into the Bucks' style of play. Lillard is thriving on a team that can bully their way to wins rather than simply relying on the talent at their disposal.

As the season wears on, Lillard will become more comfortable with his new teammates. With a better understanding of the sets Griffin wants to run, he will become even more of a scoring threat.

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Milwaukee Bucks ground out a win against the Pistons

In the Milwaukee Bucks game against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 8, they were forced into a dogfight. The Pistons play a physical brand of basketball and have the size and physicality to make interior scoring a difficult task. Milwaukee's offense is built on pressuring the rim and finding scorers that are spread out around the floor.

Detroit's young roster is proving capable of hanging with some of the better teams in their conference. The frontcourt trio of Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, and Jalen Duren helped nullify Giannis Antetokounmpo around the rim. They held the superstar forward to just 15 points on the night.

However, with such a focus on defending the cup, there will be space to exploit on the perimeter. That's where Damian Lillard tried to make the biggest impact, yet he went 2-of-12 from three-point range. Instead, he drew close-outs and attacked them off the dribble, creating space to drive or to step inside and hit some mid-range buckets.

The Indiana Pacers will be a different kind of test for Milwaukee. They play faster, and have more shooters, and Tyrese Haliburton's playmaking will pose new questions for the Bucks' defense.

Nevertheless, Lillard is finding ways to help his team win. That's why Milwaukee is among the favorites to make it out of the Eastern Conference when the playoffs begin.