Is Fred VanVleet Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Bucks vs. Rockets)

UPDATE: Fred VanVleet has been RULED OUT on Tuesday night.

Fred VanVleet (ankle) ruled out Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) February 25, 2025

Houston Rockets' guard Fred VanVleet has missed the team's last nine games with a right ankle strain, but he could be returning to the lineup on Tuesday night.

VanVleet has been upgraded to questionable for tonight's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, where DraftKings Sportsbook has the Rockets as 3.5-point favorites at home. Houston is just 10-12 against the spread as a home favorite this season.

Getting VanVleet back would be a major boost to a Houston offense that has struggled with the veteran point guard this season.

FVV is averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3. Those numbers aren't All-Star caliber, but VanVleet controls the offense for the Rockets and is a steadying veteran presence for a rather young team.

Overall this season, Houston is just 5-7 when VanVleet sits, and over its last nine games without him, the Rockets are 24th in offensive rating, 25th in assists percentage, and 22nd in turnover percentage.

Some ugly numbers without FVV.

No. 24 offensive rating
No. 25 assist %
No. 22 turnover %

Udoka on VanVleet’s absence & Alperen Şengün’s subsequent struggles:

"Fred is crucial to our whole ecosystem. ... His IQ & the headiness that he plays with, we're missing some of that." pic.twitter.com/4x7jY75l0i
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) February 24, 2025

Houston has lost seven of its last 10 games, and it certainly could use FVV back in action against a Milwaukee team that has won four straight to jump into the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tuesday also happens to be VanVleet's 31st birthday, so maybe that'll be some added motivation for the Rockets' guard to suit up. Right now, though, it seems like he's truly up in the air for this contest.

This story will be updated with VanVleet's official status for Tuesday's contest.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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