Both of the Milwaukee Bucks’ nine-time All-Stars, power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard, landed on the team’s injury report for a critical contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Will they be available on the road for a clash with a very, very dinged-up Lakers squad?
Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported earlier that Lillard saw his status downgraded to merely questionable to suit up against L.A., as he deals with a sore right soleus, a calf muscle. This ailment is new, as the 6-foot-2 Weber State product had previously been listed as probable to play through a sore right groin.
Antetokounmpo, 30, was considered probable to play through a right patella tendinopathy. The two-time league MVP was expected to feast on the Lakers’ junior varsity personnel on Thursday in Crypto.com Arena. Starting Lakers forwards LeBron James and Rui Hachimura have both already been ruled out.
Backup shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. was also listed as probable to play through a left patella tendinopathy.
Milwaukee power forward/center Bobby Portis is still in the midst of a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy. The 6-foot-10 Arkansas product took a banned substance — a pain medication named Tramadol — under the assumption he was ingesting a permitted pain medication named Toradol.
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Bucks center Jericho Sims, who arrived in a minor trade with the New York Knicks, had been picking up the lion’s share of Portis’ minutes off the bench for the Bucks, and was already developing a solid lob connection with Lillard. Unfortunately, he recently incurred a right thumb UCL sprain, and was ruled out for four weeks. Thus, Sims is now expected to return to the Bucks just in time for the postseason.
Now, a final determination has been made on Antetokounmpo and Lillard’s health.
According to Nehm, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo and Trent will play, though Lillard is “probably out.”
Bucks coach Doc Rivers tells reporters that Damian Lillard will probably be out tonight vs. the Lakers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Gary Trent Jr. will be available though. https://t.co/o3uy0RLz9Y
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 21, 2025
The two-time league MVP should feast on the Lakers’ junior varsity personnel on Thursday in Crypto.com Arena.
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Starting Lakers forwards LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, plus key reserves Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt, have all been ruled out. The Lakers are playing their sixth game in eight nights, a brutal stretch during the regular season’s final month. It’s understandable that first-year head coach JJ Redick would like to rest some of his best players when possible.
Star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are also on the shelf for Los Angeles. It’s likely that little-used rookie Bronny James, LeBron’s 20-year-old son, could actually see rotation minutes against the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo appears poised to have a big night in the paint against Lakers backups.
Should he play for at least nine of the 38-30 Bucks’ final 14 games, the 6-foot-11 superstar seems likely to earn another All-NBA First Team honor. Through 56 healthy games, he’s averaging 30.2 points on 59.9 percent shooting from the floor and 60 percent shooting from the foul line, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per.
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