Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing? Final Bucks vs Nets Injury Report Revealed

After missing the last two games, Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury status against the Nets has been revealed.

Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks have tried to do a good job of managing their two stars. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are the two most important players on the team. The health of both players is paramount for this team to be able to win games.

Antetokounmpo might be the best player in the NBA right now. His numbers are incredible, posting 32.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and six assists. When he is out there, he is pretty much unstoppable. Teams haven't been able to keep him from dominating in the paint.

The issue with Antetokounmpo is his injury history. Over the last few years, he has missed a number of games due to various injuries. Most of them haven't been a big deal, but they are tied to his knees. He has sat out games periodically due to knee soreness or some sort of back issue.

So far this season, he has been pretty durable. He has only missed four games this year. Unfortunately, two of them have been in the last couple of games. Coming out of the NBA Cup, he hasn't been able to play in many games, playing only against the Cavs so far since the NBA Cup Finals.

Heading into the game against the Nets on Thursday, Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable due to back spasms but will be out. It is was has kept him out of each of the last couple of contests. Milwaukee was able to win both of those games against the Bulls and the Wizards without him.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers tells reporters that Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play tonight vs. the Nets.

Damian Lillard will probably not play.

Khris Middleton will be available. https://t.co/SqA1Wd7uss

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 26, 2024

Antetokounmpo wants to play every game that he possibly can. He has been very vocal about that throughout his career. At the same time, he knows that the ultimate goal is for him to be healthy when the playoffs roll around. He needs to be his healthiest in April.

The Bucks have been on a run in the East in the last month or so. They sit fifth in the East. They are still within striking distance of the third seed, only sitting three games behind the Knicks. It's unlikely that they would be able to catch the Celtics or the Cavs for the top two seeds.

In order to make a run at the higher seeds in the East, they need to have Antetokounmpo out there playing in as many games as possible. This team goes as far as he is able to take them.

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