After a scare on Friday night, Milwaukee Bucks superstar candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be back on the court for the team’s game on Tuesday.
Milwaukee Bucks fans likely had a shiver of terror run down their spines on Friday night when Giannis Antetokounmpo called a timeout and quickly rushed off the court in the first quarter of the team’s win over the Miami Heat. The NBA MVP candidate reportedly bumped knees with a Miami player and incurred the type of discomfort that forced him out of that matchup and their victory on Sunday.
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However, it seems the decision to sit Antetokounmpo this weekend was precautionary and he is expected to be back on the court for the team’s game against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. During a Tuesday afternoon appearance on Sportscenter, ESPN NBA reporter Jamal Collier revealed that the star talent is listed as probable Tuesday and gave some extra details on the knee injury.
“After that initial pain from that knee injury on Friday — when he bumped knees with a Heat player — the team has felt pretty confident that he was in the clear. That this was going to be a minor setback for him. … The intent for him today is to warm up with the intent to play in this game tonight.”
– Jamal Collier
However, Collier also mentioned that while his knee should not be a problem going forward, his recent wrist injury is something to monitor.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wrist won’t be healthy for rest of the season
Antetokounmpo injured his wrist in the Milwaukee Bucks’ final game for the All-Star break two weeks ago. And it was serious enough that it led to him being sidelined for much of the team activities at the weekend showcase.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stats (2022-2023): 31.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 27% 3PT
The Bucks beat writer explained on Tuesday that the injury and how the one-time league MVP deals with it is something for fans to monitor the rest of the season.
“The way it’s described to me is that wrist is not going to be 100% for the rest of the way, but I think they feel, and Giannis feels it’s something he can play threw for the rest of the season. It’s just going to be about pain tolerance. He can’t make the wrist injury worse. They don’t believe he can make it worse and he’s able to avoid surgery for now.”
– Jamal Collier
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks face the Brooklyn Nets on the road looking for a fifteenth straight win at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday night.