Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing Tonight vs Cavaliers? Bucks Release Worrying Injury Report Amidst Head Coach Shake Up

The Milwaukee Bucks finished their three-game road trip by grabbing two straight wins. Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. travel back to Wisconsin for their three-game homestand before hitting the road for a five-game stretch. Going up against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Fiserv Forum, the Bucks can clinch their 31^st win of the season. However, fans seem concerned as Antetokounmpo has been added to the injury report.

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that head coach Adrian Griffin was being sacked. Today, fans of the franchise received another blow when Antetokounmpo was added to the injury report. Ahead of the clash against Donovan Mitchell and Co., Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as “probable”.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (shoulder) listed probable for Wednesday.

— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 23, 2024

The Greek Freak has been dealing with a right shoulder contusion for the past few games. This same injury was the reason behind his absence from the 17^th January clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the two-time MVP did suit up for the next two fixtures.

In those games, Giannis averaged 31 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. At no point did it seem as though the shoulder injury bothered the 29-year-old. Hence, it seems likely that Antetokounmpo will set foot on the hardwood, donning the Bucks jersey.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has only missed two games this season

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an impressive campaign. The 2021 NBA champ is putting up 31.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. However, the most impressive stat of Antetokounmpo’s 11^th professional campaign has been the fact that he’s suited up for 41 out of the team’s first 43 games.

In the two games that Giannis has missed out on, the Bucks have had a 1-1 record. While they grabbed a huge win against the Toronto Raptors in mid-November, Damian Lillard and Co. recently suffered a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This time, even if the European sensation was to be sidelined, the Bucks would enter the clash as the favorites to emerge victorious because of the Cavaliers being injury-riddled. The likes of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Ty Jerome, and Tristan Thompson will be missing out on the matchup. Whereas, Caris LeVert is listed as “questionable”.

Emoni Bates, Darius Garland, Ty Jerome, Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley and Tristan Thompson are out for the #Cavs against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Caris LeVert is questionable and a likely game-time decision.

— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) January 23, 2024

It’ll be interesting to see how the team fares in their first game without Adrian Griffin on the sidelines. However, considering that the #3 Philadelphia 76ers are only 0.5 games behind them in the standings, a win is essential for the Bucks to prevent tumbling down the Eastern Conference.