Bucks Injury Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo in Jeopardy of Missing Another Game

The Milwaukee Bucks could be without their star forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the fourth consecutive game.

Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable due to a non-COVID illness.

Injury Report - Dec. 31 at Indiana

Out:
AJ Johnson (G League )
Chris Livingston (G League)
Tyler Smith (G League)

Questionable:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Non-Covid Illness)

Probable:
AJ Green (Right Calf Contusion)
Khris Middleton (Bilateral Ankle Surgery)
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 30, 2024

While that is the case, Antetokounmpo returned to practice on Monday. It sounds like Antetokounmpo is set to return from a four-game absence against the Pacers on Tuesday.

Head coach Doc Rivers said he anticipates Antetoukounmpo will play without any restrictions. Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince will likely get an uptick in minutes if he cannot go.

Rivers said that the entire team practiced on Monday before their matchup on Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers.

"It was good," Rivers said. "It's rare. It's rare. We didn't do a lot. We did a lot of defensive stuff, a lot of film, we had a lot of slippage in the last two games and I think our guys need to see it."

The last time we saw the two-time MVP, he was spectacular, recording 33 points and 14 rebounds against the Cavaliers in his last game. The 30-year-old has been elite this season and is looking like a top MVP candidate. He is averaging 32.7 points per game, 11.6 rebounds per game, 6.0 assists per game, and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting 61 percent from the field in 24 games and 35.0 minutes of action.

It has been a while since Antetoukounmpo missed four consecutive games, which last came on Jan. 12-21, 2023, missing five straight games with knee soreness. Injuries have been the Achilles heel for the Bucks as they have hurt them from reaching their full potential in the last three seasons.

The Bucks hope that they can get over that hump this season, and it all starts and ends with Antetoukounmpo. The Greek Freak has taken his game to another level in the past month or so and has been the reason for the Bucks' turnaround this season.

As the Bucks look ahead, they will look for their 17th win of the season and also end their two-game skid. The Bucks are 5-5 against the rest of the division. Milwaukee has a 5-7 record against teams above .500.

The Pacers are one game below .500 prior to their game against the Bucks. The Bucks have taken a bit of a dip after their NBA Cup win a few weeks ago. As they enter this match, they have been a .500 team in their last 10 games, averaging 109.2 points, 42.6 rebounds, 25.2 assists, 8.5 steals, and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.7 points.

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