Ralphie Aversa talks to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal about players and coaches seeking shorter seasons to help prevent injuries.
game seriously
The Milwaukee Bucks are going through a series of losing streaks and their star players are putting pressure on team officials to return from injury as soon as possible.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has not played an NBA game since the Bucks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 17 and Milwaukee has not won since then as it enters another NBA Cup matchup against the New York Knicks on Friday, Nov. 28. But he wants to make a comeback soon. So quickly that Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers and the Bucks’ medical team decided to slow Antetokounmpo down before his most recent setback, a three-point loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Antetokounmpo’s injury status was nevertheless upgraded earlier this week, and he looks to return after an encouraging start to the 2025-26 season with the Bucks slipping to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Here is the latest information on Antetokounmpo’s injury status as Milwaukee tries to stop its six-game losing streak:
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing today?
Perhaps. For the second consecutive game, the Bucks have listed Antetokounmpo as questionable ahead of their NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks on Friday, November 28.
Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable before the Bucks’ NBA Cup game on Wednesday, but was ruled out before tipoff as Milwaukee lost 106-103 to the Miami Heat.
giannis antetokounmpo injury update
The 30-year-old forward has missed Milwaukee’s last four games after suffering an adductor strain during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 17. According to ESPN, Antetokounmpo was initially expected to miss one to two weeks of action, and he has made solid progress in recent days.
Antetokounmpo was upgraded to questionable for the Heat game after participating in a pregame workout before the Bucks’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers two days earlier. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he participated in shootarounds at Miami’s Cascia Center, but coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo did not finish the session. Rivers later clarified that this was on the orders of the medical staff and to his relief, and was not related to any setbacks in Antetokounmpo’s recovery.
“I’m very glad we made the decision we made,” Rivers said after the Bucks’ November 26 game against the Heat. “I was very uncomfortable with it. He really wanted to push, and that’s Giannis. I was very happy with our medical team today. They decided at the end of the day, let’s wait. And, obviously as a coach I can’t get into it, but I told Giannis that, this morning, it doesn’t have to happen tonight. Then the medical team told him too. The thing that makes Giannis great is his yes. We just thought it was the right thing to do.”
giannis stats
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 13 games for the Bucks this season.
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