The Bucks are rolling! Following an awful start to the season, they have finally picked up steam and jumped to the fifth spot in the East standings. And they won the last two games without their two best players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Well, they will be forced to repeat that feat once again as the two superstars continue to highlight the injury report for tonight’s Nets encounter.

Yes, the ‘Greek Freak’ will miss his third straight game. The reason? Back spasms. Meanwhile, Dame is also out for his fourth straight game due to a non-COVID-19 illness. Apart from the illness, Lillard has also been dealing with a calf injury since the Bucks’ Emirates NBA Cup victory.

Obviously, their absence is a massive blow to the team as both Giannis and Dame have been in top form and finally figured out how to be dominant, playing alongside each other. The ‘Greek Freak’ is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 32.7 points and nearly twelve rebounds. Moreover, he has been elite on defense with 1.5 blocks per game. As for Dame, he has also upped his averages to 25.7 points and nearly eight assists.

As it turns out, Dame is not the only one dealing with illness in the Bucks’ camp.

The team also ruled out Chris Livingston and AJ Johnson because of the same issue. Amid the absence of multiple stars, the Bucks get one ray of hope as Khris Middleton has been upgraded from probable to available and will suit up tonight. Well, he has played seven games so far this season after returning from double ankle surgery and is averaging 11.6 points and nearly six assists.

Bucks and Nets’ Depth Chart

With Giannis and Dame out, this is what the Bucks’ depth chart looks like:

Sure enough, they are going with the same starting lineup they went with in the last two games as it has proven to be successful so far. Moreover, Liam Robbins has been called up from the G League to give the team more depth amid the two stars’ absence.

For the Nets, this is what their depth chart looks like:

Well, Ziaire Williams (knee) and Cam Thomas (hamstring) are out due to injury concerns. Joining them will be Dorian Finney-Smith, who was downgraded from questionable to out due to a left calf contusion. Meanwhile, Trendon Watford (hamstring) and Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) continue to remain out. The good news is that Ben Simmons is now available after his questionable status due to lower back injury management.

Of course, the Bucks have been very lucky with the timing of Giannis and Dame’s absence because their last two opponents were both low-ranked teams in the East. And that’s the case once again tonight as the Nets are among the bottom four teams in the conference. Surely, the Bucks will be looking to extend their winning streak despite their two superstars’ unavailability. Do you think they can pull it off?