The Milwaukee Bucks finished their three-game stint in New York with two wins and a loss. For the fourth and final clash of their road trip, the Bucks will travel to Ohio to go up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In hopes of winning nine games out of their last 10 contests, fans will keep an eye out for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability tonight.
Advertisement
The Milwaukee Bucks have done a great job curbing injuries this season. So far, neither of their three All-Stars – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Damian Lillard – have missed significant time away from the court. A positive takeaway for the franchise, no doubt. However, four names have been added to the Bucks’ injury report before the game against Cleveland, Antetokounmpo being one of them.
The two-time NBA MVP has been listed as ‘probable’ for the matchup. Bucks beat reporter Eric Nehm has confirmed the same.
Meanwhile, two-way players TyTy Washington Jr. and Marques Bolden will be out due to G-League assignments. Jae Crowder will be out as well for his 22nd game of the campaign due to his left adductor injury.
For concerned fans of the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis has only missed out on only one game this season. Since he played the previous game despite being listed as “questionable”, it should almost be a certainty that the 29-year-old will suit up for tonight as well.
However, the Bucks have no dearth of firepower on the offensive end, thanks to the addition of Damian Lillard this summer. Dame has spearheaded many victories for the Trail Blazers without an MVP-caliber star on his team. However, the Bucks will certainly miss Giannis’ defensive contributions if Milwaukee decides to not risk their main man’s injury.
However, the Bucks are second in the East with a 23-8 record. Therefore, Giannis’ availability shouldn’t be a big deal for them, especially since Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell has also been listed as ‘questionable’.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been an MVP candidate this year as well
For the longest time, the Miami Heat were regarded as the favorites to acquire Damian Lillard. However, the Milwaukee Bucks shocked the entire basketball community as they swooped in and pulled off one of the biggest trades in the franchise’s history.
The dynamic duo of Antetokounmpo and Lillard was being touted as the one of the greatest pairings in modern NBA history even before they played a single game together. Fans expected the two All-Stars to be exciting. But they also projected that the Greek Freak would witness a fall in his production, owing to the addition of a ball-dominant player in Dame.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the 6ft 11” big man has been scoring like never before. Recording 30.8 points per game, Giannis has certainly figured out a strategy to prevent his scoring from taking a hit. On the other hand, Lillard has also put up the fifth-highest points per game (25.7) by an Eastern Conference guard.
While it is certain that both of them will receive the All-Star nod, Giannis has been on track to add a third MVP award to his trophy cabinet. Constantly finishing in the top three of the MVP ladder, Antetokounmpo has also led the Bucks to the 2nd seed in the East.
