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Milwaukee Bucks F Thanasis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. the Phoenix Suns after being placed into health and safety protocols, per Shams Charania.
As of right now, no other players on the Bucks have been placed in the healthy and safety protocols. This season, the 28-year-old Antetokounmpo has sparingly played for Milwaukee in the regular season and postseason. In 57 games, he’s averaging 2.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. In the playoffs, Antetokounmpo has played at the end of the first quarter or when a game is out of reach.
With Game 5 only three hours away, it will be interesting to see if any additional information is released in regards to contact tracing. If there are any players identified, then they would also join Antetokounmpo in the health and safety protocols.
The Bucks are also missing assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer, who is missing his third straight game due to contact tracing protocols according to Adrian Wojnarowski. There is hope, according to Woj, that Oppenheimer returns to the bench in Milwaukee in Game 6.