Bucks Injury Report: Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton’s Availability Before Game 3 vs Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks had one of the best records during the regular season. Coming into the playoffs, however, they have been dealing with a stiff challenge at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. With two of the six playoff games between them already concluded, both franchises currently hold a score of 1-1. In order to gain back their momentum, the Bucks will be depending on the availability of lead scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been sidelined from the previous two games due to an injury. A recent update, however, has put not only his but the availability of two other players into a shadow of doubt.

A few hours ago, NBA reporter and podcaster Alex Golden took to his official X account to highlight details from the Bucks’ recently released Injury Report. According to it, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to remain in the ‘Doubtful’ category. To make matters worse for the team, he is joined in the report by Khris Middleton, who has been listed as ‘Questionable’. Giannis shares the category with his teammate Chris Livingston, who has only scored an average of 0.9 points, 0.9 rebounds ,and 0.1 assists during his last 10 matchups.

Giannis had been one of the most consistent players of the season, appearing in 73 of the 79 regular season games. Prior to the commencement of the playoffs, however, the player developed a calf strain. Despite the injury being not as serious as some people expected, the Greek Freak was sidelined from the Bucks three final regular season games. Prior to Game 1, he was listed as ‘Doubtful’ on the Injury Report. That status was changed to ‘Out’ 90 minutes before the commencement of the playoff clash. Giannis received the same designation before Game 2 as well. After being one again listed as ‘doubtful’, fans should be prepared for the fact that the Bucks power forward will be absent from Game 3 as well.

Khris Middleton had come out on top in Giannis’s absence, helping Damian Lillard to put up a memorable score during the ongoing playoffs. However, during the first quarter of Game 2, the player developed an Injury in his right ankle and had to be taken to the locker room. He returned soon after that and proceeded to drop an overall score of 15 points. According to head coach Doc Rivers, Middleton wasn’t available for practice on Thursday and his availability for Game 3 is still unsure.

“It’s another ‘holding our breath’ situation,” said Rivers about Middleton. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Bennedict Mathurin is the only player listed on the Indiana Pacers’ Injury Report. After developing a shoulder injury, he has been absent from the main lineup since early Match. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Mathurin underwent surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right shoulder, rendering him unavailable for the duration of the tournament.

What is the update on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Injury?

Game 3 will mark 18 days since Giannis Antetokounmpo has been absent from the main lineup. During the course of the regular season, he had established an average score of 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. In his absence, the Bucks had a win record of 4-5. The significance that the Greak Freak holds for his team’s success is not underestimated by many. Therefore, the players and the fans would want to return to the main lineup in order to ensure the Bucks chances in the playoffs.

Renowned reporter Shams Charania gave an update on Giannis’s condition two days ago. He stated that the player has “started to do some stationary jump shooting…But still not much cutting, no scrimmaging, no all out running yet”. From what he observed, Charania put out his belief that the Bucks will have to continue to play without Giannis for quite some time.

Prior to Game 2, Doc Rivers confirmed Charania’s update by stating that the player “shot today. He was on the floor… He’s getting closer”.

By winning one playoff game, the current Milwaukee Bucks roster has shown that they can carry the team forward without their star player. However, at such a crucial stage, nothing can be left to chance.