The Milwaukee Bucks face the Boston Celtics on Friday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, but whether the Bucks’ two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be available to play was updated to a game-time decision Thursday, the day before the game against Boston.
With less than two weeks remaining in the NBA regular season, one thing is known for certain: the Bucks and Celtics are headed in opposite directions. The Celtics will be playing for their 52nd win of the season and to solidify their No. 2-seeded position in the Eastern Conference in a season that has earlier been branded a “gap year” for Boston, missing their own four-time All-NBA First Teamer Jayson Tatum for the first 62 games as he recovered from Achilles surgery.
Also missing their franchise player in Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention on March 28, when they suffered a 127-95 blowout loss at home to the San Antonio Spurs.
Antetokounmpo Status Updated by Team
Antetokounmpo has been on the bench since March 15, when he hyperextended his left knee in a game against the Indiana Pacers. At the time, the 10-time All-Star was expected to miss one week with the injury.
Instead, Antetokounmpo has now missed nine straight games, with the latest coming on Wednesday when despite a spirited effort by the injury-riddled Bucks who were able to suit up only eight players, they gave the Houston Rockets all they could handle before falling to a 119-113 defeat.
After that encouraging performance by Milwaukee, with Antetokounmpo listed as “out” on the Bucks’ injury report, the team updated their superstar’s status to “game-time decision” for Friday’s game against the No. 2-seeded Celtics, according to an injury report posted by CBS Sports.
According to a report by ESPN.com, Antetokounmpo now has an “estimated return date” of April 3, which is the date of Friday’s game against the Celtics.
Will Antetokounmpo Play Against Celtics?
The updated injury status does not necessarily mean, however, that Antetokounmpo will be available to play against the Celtics. As a “game-time decision” his status may not be finalized until shortly before the 7 p.m. Eastern Time scheduled tipoff.
But the outlook for Antetokounmpo remains pessimistic. On Sunday, Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo was “not healthy yet,” according to Bucks correspondent Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Rivers added that the possibility of Antetokounmpo returning to action remains open, “but he has to clear all the things. So, to me, there’s no discussion about it until he clears everything,” as quoted by Nehm.
Antetokounmpo’s teammate Bobby Portis, who is himself out with a wrist injury, said in a recent interview that he expected the Bucks superstar to miss the entire remainder of the season, according to HoopsRumors.com.
“I don’t think he’ll play another game this year, for sure,” Portis said in the FanDuel TV interview.
“Obviously, he’ll stay in the gym and keep his body tight and keep his game tight. But playing a game on court, I don’t think that’s in the picture at all.”
The Celtics will need to wait until Friday, it appears, to learn whether they will be facing a Bucks team featuring Antetokounmpo, or another team comprised of backup players.
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