Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing Tonight Vs Wizards? Bucks’ Injury Report Ahead Of Washington Trip

The Milwaukee Bucks (47-27) and the Washington Wizards (14-61) will face off for the third and final time this season. While the Bucks had already positioned themselves as the 2nd seed on the points chart, they have been dealing with a wavering trajectory for the past few games. With the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks threatening to dethrone them, the team will be looking to utilize Giannis Antetokounmpo and other star players to deliver this win, allowing them to maintain their high seeding.

A few hours before the clash, ‘The Athletic’ reporter Eric Nehm highlighted specific details from the recent Injury Report released by the Bucks. The same listed Giannis Antetokounmpo as being in the ‘probable’ category. This means that the player has a very good chance of being present at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC within the next few hours.

Giannis’s left hamstring tendinopathy has been a worrying concern since he developed it when facing the Los Angeles Lakers almost three weeks ago. The injury did not seem to affect his playing ability for the next three games. After that, however, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers ultimately decided to bench the player and allow him to rest. In a statement to the press, Rivers stated that the decision was taken because “we’re just concerned a little bit”. Once he returned to the court, Giannis appeared on multiple injury reports as ‘probable’ but still appeared in all the games.

Along with the Greek Freak, other Bucks players like MarJon Beauchamp (back spasms), Patrick Beverley (R wrist sprain), and Khris Middleton (L ankle sprain) have also been placed in the ‘probable’ category. Having recently returned from a 16-game hiatus, Middleton is back to being a consistent and reliable small forward. Therefore, having him on the offensive play will help to alleviate some of the pressure from Giannis’s shoulder.

While the update assured Giannis’s availability, it also carried the unfortunate news that Damian Lillard has been placed in the “out” category. Having already missed the previous game due to “personal reasons”, the absence of the team’s second-highest scorer can prove to be a difficult bump to overcome.

The situation for the Bucks seems to be manageable but the same can’t be said for their rivals. The Washington Wizards will be entering the game with two of their highest scorers, Kyle Kuzma and Landry Shamet, being ruled out. Tyus Jones, who has been leading his team in terms of assists, has also been ruled out. Furthermore, shooting guard Jared Butler and power forward Richaun Holmes have been listed as ‘questionable’.

Giannis Antetokounmpo against the Washington Wizards

Giannis Antetokounmpo is known as the ‘Greek Freak’ for a specific reason. His high-scoring ability, speed, and resilience have made him one of the most dominating players of the modern NBA. The player has continued to carry this same strength whenever he has come face to face with the Washington Wizards.

During his last 10 matchups with the rival Eastern team, the 29-year-old had managed to secure a mind-boggling average of 32.8 points, 12 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. Two of those matchups had him scoring above 40, while only four of them had the player scoring below 30. Furthermore, the Bucks hold a 9-1 win record in those games.

While keeping his score up, Giannis’s high stat has not come at the expense of his shooting ability. He continued to maintain a field goal percentage of 61.4% and his field throw percentage remained at 73.3%. However, if a hit was taken somewhere, it was taken in his three-pointer percentage which went down to 16.7% during these games. As long as the Greek Freak continues to excel at everything else, however, the three-pointers won’t become that big of a concern.

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