The Bucks said Damian Lillard has made “significant improvement” in his recovery from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf but they haven’t indicated when the seven-time all-NBA guard might start playing again.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Lillard will miss the start of the playoffs.

The team’s update comes as the Bucks, the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, are preparing for their Round 1 opener on Saturday against the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Lillard, 34, who last played in a game on March 18, finished the regular season ranked 10th in scoring (24.9) and 10th in assists (7.1). He earned his ninth All-Star Game selection this year.

Hockey: A judge has upheld all charges against the driver charged with killing hockey players Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau while they bicycled in New Jersey. The ruling comes after defense lawyers argued that the brothers may have contributed to their deaths by cycling while intoxicated. Judge Michael Silvanio says that’s not relevant under New Jersey criminal law. And witnesses tell police they were riding single-file on the edge of the road when driver Sean Higgins swerved around another vehicle and hit them last August. Prosecutors say Higgins was impaired by alcohol and fueled by road rage. ... Logan Couture, who played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Sharks, retired. Couture, 36, can no longer play because of a debilitating condition called osteitis pubis, or inflammation in the joint between the left and right pubic bones. It has sidelined him for nearly 15 months.

NFL: Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl with the Raiders during his nine-year career and was the father of two former NFL QBs, died of cardiac arrest Monday. He was 70.