Giannis Antetokounmpo Holding Steady In The MVP Ladder

The Miami Heat face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday

The Miami Heat got a free pass earlier this when Milwaukee Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Thursday's game to rest purposes. 

Antetokounmpo took the night off to maintenance his sore knee but is expected back in the lineup for Saturday's rematch. 

“It’ll have a different tenor and feel to it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Antetokounmpo being back in the fold. 

Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He moved up one spot to No. 4 in this week's Kia Race MVP rankings at NBA.com. 

"Since the last Kia Race to the MVP Ladder dropped, Antetokounmpo has put together two single-digit scoring nights sandwiched around a 22-point, 10-rebound performance in a win over the Knicks, after reeling off a combined 128 points in the previous three contests," writes NBA.com Michael C Wright.

Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) and Jayson Tatum held the top four spots. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid rounded out the top five. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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