Giannis Antetokounmpo Active For Bucks Showdown vs. Knicks

The New York Knicks will have to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo in a crucial Eastern Conference tilt.

Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks will have their lead reindeer when they face the New York Knicks in a crucial Eastern Conference showdown.

The Bucks confirmed that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be active for Friday's visit from the Knicks (8 p.m. ET, MSG). Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable for the tilt due to a foot injury.

Having dropped four of their last six games, the Bucks (40-32) have fallen to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference leaderboard, which would set up a first-round series with the third-ranked Knicks.

Milwaukee has dealt with a rash of medical issues, including depth stars and former Knicks Bobby Portis (suspension for violating the league's drug policies) and Jericho Sims (thumb). They learned this week that Damian Lillard will be out indefinitely due to blood clots while Antetokounmpo missed Wednesday's loss in Denver, the last stanza of a rollercoaster road trip.

Friday serves the basketball world the last of three regular season meetings between the Knicks and Bucks. New York has won the first two against healthy Milwaukee teams by a combined 56 points but those first two meetings were staged at Madison Square Garden. The Bucks have since added Sims, Kyle Kuzma, and Kevin Porter Jr. at the trade deadline.

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