Bucks Change Final Status of Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Suns

Milwaukee Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play today against the Phoenix Suns.

PHOENIX -- The Milwaukee Bucks will not have Giannis Antetokounmpo today against the Phoenix Suns. This comes after Doc Rivers told reporters today he was likely going to play.

"I think he's good," Rivers told reporters during pre-game availability.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Milwaukee would be without his services:

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out vs. the Phoenix Suns today, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 17, 2024

Antetokounmpo was initially questionable with a hamstring injury but has played in the last five games. 

The Bucks are currently the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed and trail the Boston Celtics by 9.5 games with a 43-24 record. They're 7-3 in their last ten games, though Antetkounmpo said it's been quite the year as the Bucks struggled early on and fired their previous head coach before bringing on Doc Rivers. 

"It's been tough," Antetkounmpo said in a recent interview. 

"But at the end of the day, I think when you face adversity in life, that's when you excel the most. So I'm just trying to, as a leader, as a basketball player, as a person, just trying to do what I do, keep on enjoying the game of basketball, keep on hanging in there, keep on trying to improve my game, doing the right thing. And hopefully, step by step, I get where I want to go and I'm able to help the team get where we want to go."

Antetkounmpo's 30.8 points per night is third in the NBA while he also averages 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists each outing. He dropped 34 in Milwaukee's last outing vs Phoenix. 

Suns-Bucks is set for a 10:00 AM Arizona Time opening tip.