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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his fifth sport in a row on Saturday night time when the staff takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo has been coping with a lingering knee situation that has stored him out of the lineup since Jan. 11.
All alongside, the Bucks have maintained that they haven’t any considerations about this being any form of vital damage. Head coach Mike Budenholzer mentioned Tuesday previous to their win over the Toronto Raptors that they “anticipate for him to be able to go quickly,” however will proceed taking issues daily.
He additionally indicated there was no setback all through this course of, and the choice for him to proceed sitting is predicated on communication between Antetokounmpo and the medical group about how his knee feels.
“We proceed to suppose it is the stuff that he and us have handled — for me it is every year that I’ve been right here,” Budenholzer mentioned on Monday forward of the staff’s win over the Indiana Pacers. “We do not suppose it is something greater than that. Him being wholesome, taking good care of him is all the time our precedence, we’re in all probability all the time going to err on the facet of warning as a result of we all know how vital he’s to us.”
After he sat each video games at residence earlier this week, which gave him a full 10 days off, many anticipated that Antetokounmpo can be again within the lineup on Saturday for his or her vital showdown with the Cavaliers.
“He’s doing loads of work within the weight room, he is doing a little work on the courtroom, he is doing a few of his warm-ups,” Budenholzer mentioned on Tuesday. “All of these issues are a part of retaining his knee, retaining all the pieces to the place he can play at a excessive degree. That’s why — I do know it is the fourth sport now and that is not what you need — in our eyes we’re very inspired and optimistic that he is in an excellent place. We’re simply working via one other season with him.”
Both he and the staff, nevertheless, have clearly determined that he isn’t prepared. This is the longest absence for Antetokounmpo since Dec. 2021, when he additionally missed 5 straight video games.
The Bucks have struggled during the last month however picked up two huge wins with Antetokounmpo (and Khris Middleton) out of the lineup to climb again into second place within the Eastern Conference at 29-16. It’s one factor to beat the Pacers and Raptors, although, it is one other to beat the Cavaliers on the highway. The Bucks will want a giant sport from Jrue Holiday in the event that they need to preserve their spot within the standings.
