Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Josh Giddey Downgraded, Bucks Get Huge Giannis News (UPDATE)

The Chicago Bulls could be without their offensvie engine tonight.

In the hours leading up to tip-off against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bulls downgraded Josh Giddey to questionable. The guard is dealing with an ankle sprain after last night's meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers.

For what it's worth, Giddey still finished with a double-double in the 109-102 victory, scoring 12 points with 11 assists and 6 rebounds. While he did struggle from the field with a 3-12 shooting display, there were no obvious signs of discomfort for the guard. With that in mind, it feels as though the injury designation does not suggest this is an issue that will linger far past tonight's contest.

Nevertheless, if Giddey has to sit out tonight, there is no question that it would be a significant loss for the Bulls. He has put together a career year and has proven to be the backbone of Chicago's high-paced, equal-opportunity offense. Giddey has 11+ assists in four of the team's last five games, and he's also finished as a plus performer in each of the five wins.

The absence would also mark only his third missed game of the season. He sat out two performances in early November against the Pistons and Spurs, which resulted in two Bulls losses. The good news for Chicago is that they do have a plethora of guards that could help fill in Giddey's minutes, including another well-respected distributor in Tre Jones. Regardless, the Bulls are largely built around what Giddey does on that end of the floor, so any game without him becomes that much more difficult.

Speaking of increased difficulty, the Bucks have made some pretty meaningful changes to their injury report. They officially upgraded Giannis Antetokounmpo to questionable this afternoon. The two-time MVP has missed the previous eight games with a calf strain, but all signs seems to point to him making a faster-than-expected return.

Even with the Bulls playing on the backend of a back-to-back, tonight's meeting with the Bucks initially looked like a very winnable game. Milwaukee has won only two of its last eight without Antetokounmpo, and they are fresh off an ugly 125-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Adding Antetokounmpo back into the mix, however, completely changes things.

The Bucks also listed Gary Trent Jr. as questionable after the guard sat out Friday night's meeting in Memphis. Dealing with a calf contusion, Trent Jr. has been one of the team's top three-point threats, shooting 37.1 percent on roughly 6.0 attempts a night. To be sure, Trent Jr. has struggled with his consistency at times this year, but he has the kind of streaky jump shot that could give a team like Chicago trouble.

UPDATE: Josh Giddey has been cleared to play, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network. On the backend of a back-to-back, it'll be important to keep a close eye on how head coach Billy Donovan potentially manages the guard's minutes.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Josh Giddey – AVAILABLE (ankle)

Milwaukee Bucks injury Report

Giannis Antetokounmpo – QUESTIONABLE (calf)
Gary Trent Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (calf)
Taurean Prince – OUT (neck)