During their latest fixture, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 135-129 as a red-hot Damian Lillard dropped 45 points and 11 assists. This win helped them overcome the bad taste of the terrible 40-point blowout loss against the Cavaliers. Milwaukee has now won four of their last five tilts. In the loss against the Cavs, the Bucks were without the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a last-minute drop from the team because of a right shoulder contusion.
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Despite playing a huge role in the Bucks’ win against the Pistons with a 31-10-9 showing, Antetokounmpo has made it to the Pistons’ injury report ahead of their second road game in Detroit. Fans will certainly hope the Greek Freak is available for the contest at Little Caesars Arena after what happened in his absence against the Cavs.
As per the Bucks’ latest injury report, Chris Livingston and Ty Ty Washington Jr. are out for tonight’s game. In the first game of the back-to-back against the Pistons, the two-time MVP was listed as “Probable”. As per Milwaukee beat reporter Eric Nehm, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as “Probable” before tonight’s game as well. So in all likelihood, Antetokounmpo will probably suit up for the game.
The Bucks have submitted an injury report for Monday’s game vs. the Pistons in Detroit. Same as Saturday’s.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – probable (right shoulder contusion)
Chris Livingston – out (G-League assignment)
TyTy Washington Jr. – out (two-way)— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 21, 2024
Antetokounmpo has done a great job of staying healthy thus far, missing just two games this season. In those games, the Bucks have registered a win and a loss each. With Damian Lillard on the team, the 29-13 Bucks shouldn’t find to difficult to edge out the 4-38 Pistons, even if Antetokounmpo decides to take a break tonight.
Are the Milwaukee Bucks ready for a deep postseason run?
Only 3.5 games behind Boston in the East, the second-placed Bucks are just a half a game ahead of the 76ers. After bringing in Damian Lillard, they were expected to be one of the top two teams in the league. However, that alone wouldn’t have probably satisfied the Bucks fans because their favorites had the best record in the NBA last season but faced a first-round exit against the eight-seeded Miami Heat. One big concern for the Bucks has been their defense after the departure of defensive guard Jrue Holiday.
Last season, they had a defensive rating of 110.9, whereas this season, they have a rating of 116.9. They have improved offensively though, averaging 124.6 points a game, which is the second-best in the league. This is a +7.7 points increase compared to last season. However, will the team be able to improve defensively after giving up their premier defender in the offseason? Or will they look for trades to bolster that end of the floor? The Bucks will have to decide soon.
