3 Bucks Ruled Out for Bulls NBA Cup Game Friday

Mar 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks the ball on Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks could face off against a shorthanded Chicago Bulls squad on Friday, in the Bucks' first Emirates NBA Cup action of the 2025-26 season.

The Bulls currently pace all of East Group C with an 1-0 record, having beaten the New York Knicks in their first of two straight encounters last Friday night (New York subsequently handed Chicago its only loss of the young season during the two teams' next game).

Milwaukee, the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets — the rest of Group C — have yet to play any NBA Cup games as of this writing.

More news: Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr Suffers Major Injury Setback, Will Undergo Surgery

According to the Bucks' initial injury report, Milwaukee's standard 15-man roster will be without just starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr., who is on the mend from a right knee meniscus surgery earlier this week. Among the Bucks' two-way players, wing Alex Antetokounmpo will be with Milwaukee's G League affiliate in Oshkosh, the Wisconsin Herd.

Injury Report - Nov. 7 vs. Chicago

Out:
Alex Antetokounmpo (G League - Two-Way)
Kevin Porter Jr. (Right Knee Meniscus Surgery)

Questionable:
Taurean Prince (Neck Strain)

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 6, 2025

Backup 3-and-D small forward Taurean Prince, meanwhile, had been questionable to play through a strained neck.

Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Prince is now sidelined.

Update: Taurean Prince is now OUT for tonight's game vs. the Bulls. https://t.co/WOdCBDAWxo

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) November 7, 2025

Milwaukee has gotten off to a respectable 5-3 start on the season. Nine-time All-NBA superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been thriving while surrounded by 3-point shooting athletes and defenders.

More news: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Warning to Rest of NBA

Per the most recent NBA injury report, the 6-1 Bulls will be missing star shooting guard Coby White — the team's best or second-best player, thanks to the rise of Josh Giddey this season — for the eighth consecutive game to tip off the season with a strained right calf.

Still just 25, the 6-foot-5 North Carolina product averaged a career-best 20.4 points on .452/.370/.902 shooting splits — along with 4.5 dimes, 3.7 boards, and 0.9 swipes — in 74 healthy games (73 starts) for Chicago last year.

Coby White's Seamless Fit

He's a dynamic downhill scorer and a solid distributor, and his fit with Giddey when healthy could presage the Bulls reaching another level when he returns — even after already outperforming preseason expectations so far this year.

Bulls backup center Zach Collins, who's frequently hurt, is hurt again as he recovers from a left scaphoid fracture. Key sixth man guard Ayo Dosunmu, meanwhile, is questionable to play through a left quad contusion.

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.