UPDATE: Giannis Antetokounmpo is available for Thursday’s game.
There’s a movement pattern on an NBA Injury Report that I refer to as “the Antetokounmpo” due to how often Giannis has followed the trend in recent seasons. It’s when a player is downgraded from probable throughout the day and is eventually ruled out. Well, Giannis Antetokounmpo came into Thursday as probable. He’s now been downgraded to questionable. Needless to say, you’re going to want to keep an eye on this situation up to tip-off.
The red flag here is probably the lack of importance to this contest. The Bucks are pretty much locked into the five-seed in the Eastern Conference, so there’s little reason to put their former MVP at risk. The 30-year-old has been his usual amazing self so far in 2024-25, averaging 30.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. It’s also worth noting that Antetokounmpo appeared in his 65th game of the season on Tuesday, so he’s now qualified for what surely will be another First-Team All-NBA selection.
If Antetokounmpo does sit, it’ll open up a ton of DFS value on the Bucks’ roster. With both Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard sidelined this season, Bobby Portis leads Milwaukee in usage rate (29.1%), with Kyle Kuzma trailing not too far behind (26.0%). Portis is the name to focus on here. The veteran forward returned from a lengthy suspension on Tuesday, but didn’t seems to miss a beat against the Timberwolves, collecting 18 points and 10 rebounds in 28.7 minutes off the bench. He’s a candidate to start in Antetokounmpo’s place.
