Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing tonight against the Chicago Bulls? | February 16th, 2023 | 2022-23 NBA Season
Giannis Antetokounmpo has led the Milwaukee Bucks to an 11-game winning streak despite dealing with a sore right knee. He has been ruled probable for Thursday night’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls when the Bucks will try to extend their sizzling run.
Before leading Milwaukee’s season-high winning streak, Antetokounmpo sat out the team’s previous five games to rest his ailing right knee. Since his return, which also coincided with the availability of Khris Middleton after a prolonged layoff, the Bucks have become the hottest team in the NBA.
The Bucks have submitted their injury report for Thursday night's game in Chicago.
OUT:
Pat Connaughton (left calf soreness)
Jae Crowder (return to competition reconditioning)
Bobby Portis (right MCL sprain)
Probable:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness)
Over his past 11 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been averaging 37.2 points on 58.4% shooting from the field, including 34.2% from behind the arc. He has also added 13.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game to underline his impact.
The NBA All-Star team captain is not just putting his stamp on offense for the Milwaukee Bucks. He is arguably their best defender. Brook Lopez, the team’s starting center, has earned Defensive Player of the Year consideration, but Antetokounmpo has been their most versatile stopper.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has stressed the need to maintain their momentum and get as many wins as possible. They’ll likely be going all out on Thursday night on the road against the Bulls before the All-Star break.
Unless Giannis Antetokounmpo suffers a huge setback in his right knee, he should be available.
Can Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks surge to the top of the Eastern Conference?
The Milwaukee Bucks have insisted that they’re not trying to chase down the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the East. Amid their best stretch of the season, they claim that they just want to improve game by game and let the standings take care of themselves.
If the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls to pick up their 12th straight win, Milwaukee (41-17) will only be half a game behind Boston (42-17). They’re also tied with the Celtics in their head-to-head match at one apiece before a deciding game takes place on Mar. 30.
As great as the Bucks have been all season, they have struggled against the Celtics. If the top seed in the East comes down to the last match between the two teams, Milwaukee could struggle.
During their first meeting last Christmas in Boston, the Cs walloped the Bucks 139-118. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid game but couldn’t get the win for his team.
Give it up to BOSTON.
No Tatum, Brown, Smart, Horford and ON THE ROAD.
Took Bucks to OT and made them sweat with Giannis putting up 32/13/9 and Jrue putting up 40/5/7/3
#Boston #Celtics #NBA #Giannis #Bucks https://t.co/x3Y2N1LNGK
Two nights ago, they met for the second time. The Bucks had their Big Three while the Celtics were missing Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford. Antetokounmpo was blasted by fans as they were dragged into overtime by Boston’s role players.
A completely healthy Celtics roster might be too much to overcome, at least in the regular season.
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