MILWAUKEE >> Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is off blood-thinning medication and has been cleared for full basketball activity, a major step forward in his return from the deep vein thrombosis that has kept him out for the last month.

The Bucks still aren’t indicating exactly when the seven-time all-NBA performer might play again, though he has been ruled out for their first playoff game. The Bucks are seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference and open the playoffs Saturday at Indiana against the fourth-seeded Pacers.

“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 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.