Title aspirations are once again high for the Milwaukee Bucks. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard leading the charge, the Bucks have already started strong this season, as they picked up an opening-night victory on the road over the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George. This team now heads back to Milwaukee for their season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. However, Antetokounmpo’s status for this game is in question after he landed on the Bucks’ injury report.
Initially, Giannis was on the injury report ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Sixers, and he still played. While the same could happen, this injury concern has sparked the question: Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing against the Bulls on Friday night?
Giannis Antetokounmpo injury status vs. Bulls
As of Friday morning, Antetokounmpo finds himself on the Bucks’ injury report and listed as probable with what the team is calling “right patella tendinitis.” This is the same ailment that Milwaukee’s superstar was listed with on Wednesday’s injury report leading up to their game against Philadelphia. Giannis ended up playing 31 minutes in that game, registering 25 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
Throughout the preseason, Antetokounmpo has been dealing with this knee soreness, which is why the team is being cautious with their approach early on. It is possible that the Bucks could hold their star out for a game or two over the first month of the season if his knee issues persist and flare up.
As of right now, that doesn’t appear to be the case, as all indications point towards Antetokounmpo being ready to go for his team’s home opener on Friday night.
The duo of Dame and Giannis has a chance to be the best offensive pair in the league. These two led the Bucks to a 49-33 record last season, and they will once again hold high expectations during the 2024-25 regular season. At the same time, Lillard recognizes that these two are still learning how to coexist together on the court and, most importantly, win games.
“I think it is hard. It’s harder than people talk about it, especially when you’ve had the ball as much as he has and I’ve had the ball as much as I have,” Lillard told The Athletic recently. “But I think what it comes down to is, when you are the leader of a team … like the first option of a team or like a star player, you want to make sure that you are doing what you’re supposed to do. Like, I’m being productive. I’m dominating. And you don’t ever want to feel like you’re coming up short of that.
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“It’s just a matter of him trusting that. I’m also going to make sure he’s producing and he’s doing his 30 and 14 or whatever because like, it’s not that he wants stats, he wants to be his dominant self. And the same goes for me.”
This All-Star duo looked great in their first game of the season, and the Bucks are hopeful that they will only continue to grow next to one another as the year progresses.
So, when it comes to the question of if Antetokounmpo is going to be playing in Friday night’s game, Milwaukee will provide further details on his status during pregame warmups.