Bucks Injury Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo Game Status Revealed vs Pacers

The two-time league MVP is grappling with a lingering ailment.

Jan 3, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Eight-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had been listed as merely probable to suit up against the Indiana Pacers for Friday night's NBA Cup matchup due to a right patella tendinopathy.

Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers has revealed that the two-time league MVP will suit up, after all.

According to the NBA's most recent injury report, key defense-first young shooting guard AJ Johnson is out with left Achilles tendinitis (which this reporter can tell you is no picnic). Three-time All-Star Bucks small forward Khris Middleton will wait at least another game to make his season debut for the Bucks as he continues to recover from bilateral ankle surgery.

Two-way point guard Ryan Rollins, who briefly started for All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard while Lillard recuperated from a concussion, remains shelved indefinitely with a dislocated left shoulder. Two-center Liam Robbins is out with a sore left heel.

Indiana is even more injured, however. Two of the Pacers' backup centers, James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, are likely done for the year with Achilles tendon tears. Normal starting wings Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are both shelved — with left patellofemoral inflammation and a left ankle sprain, respectively. Two-way player Tristen Newton is available. Reserve shooting guard Ben Sheppard will miss his second straight game for the Pacers with a left oblique strain. Power forward Jarace Walker is grappling with an undisclosed illness, but will be available to play.

The bout tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum. Both the Bucks and Pacers occupy East Group B for this year's NBA Cup, along with the Detroit Pistons (2-0) in Cup group play, Miami Heat (1-1) and Toronto Raptors (0-2). The Bucks are 1-0 so far, while the Pacers are 0-1. Both teams made it to Las Vegas for last year's event, then given a far clunkier moniker, the NBA In-Season Tournament. The Pacers eliminated the Bucks en route to the Finals, where they were blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was a harbinger of things to come. A younger, healthier Indiana squad upset the favored-but-injured Bucks in the first round of the 2024 Eastern Conference playoffs last spring, and eventually made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. There, the Pacers were swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

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