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PHOENIX – The Milwaukee Bucks can win their third straight road game and secure a winning record on their season long five-game road trip with a victory over the Phoenix Suns at the PHX Arena tonight. The Bucks (40-30) have won three in a row away from Fiserv Forum just one other time this season.
A victory would also move the Bucks to 11 games over .500, matching their best mark of the season.
They will face a Suns (34-37) team that has struggled all year but has won three in a row and four of their last five.
The Bucks star is probable to play his 18th straight game since the all-star break as he manages soreness in his right knee. He has dealt with that since training camp and has never missed a game due to that issue.
More: 'Before, I didn’t see the game like this': Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has found a midrange shot, and opponents should be terrified
All-star point guard Damian Lillard will miss his third straight game with soreness in his right calf. The Bucks have insisted that it’s a day-to-day issue for the 34-year-old, but he has been a quick scratch the last couple of games and was not with the team in Sacramento.
Lillard missed three games over 10 days in December with a strain in his right calf. That stretch coincided with a respiratory illness that sidelined him for a game.
He suffered two strains to that calf (including the soleus muscle, specifically) early in the 2022 season while he was with Portland, which forced him to miss a total of 10 games over a total of three weeks.
Mike Budenholzer is in his first season coaching the Suns, and it is his first job since the Bucks fired him in 2023. Budenholzer coached the Bucks for five seasons from 2018-23 and had a .693 regular season winning percentage (271-120) and guided the team to the 2021 NBA championship.
He had the third-most wins in franchise history for a coach and the best regular-season winning percentage for a coach that completed at least one season.
The Bucks were 39-26 (.600) in the playoffs under Budenholzer, but he was dismissed after a first-round playoff exit vs. Miami.
More: Purchase your commemorative 2021 championship book
The game is set for a 9 p.m. CT tip off.
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington returning from NCAA Tournament duties to resume the play-by-play call. She will be joined by Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks.
Phoenix is a 2.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, and the over/under is 223.5 points per Bet MGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight? Starters, odds, game time
Continue reading...
A victory would also move the Bucks to 11 games over .500, matching their best mark of the season.
They will face a Suns (34-37) team that has struggled all year but has won three in a row and four of their last five.
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Is Giannis playing?
The Bucks star is probable to play his 18th straight game since the all-star break as he manages soreness in his right knee. He has dealt with that since training camp and has never missed a game due to that issue.
More: 'Before, I didn’t see the game like this': Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has found a midrange shot, and opponents should be terrified
Damian Lillard remains out for Bucks
All-star point guard Damian Lillard will miss his third straight game with soreness in his right calf. The Bucks have insisted that it’s a day-to-day issue for the 34-year-old, but he has been a quick scratch the last couple of games and was not with the team in Sacramento.
Lillard missed three games over 10 days in December with a strain in his right calf. That stretch coincided with a respiratory illness that sidelined him for a game.
He suffered two strains to that calf (including the soleus muscle, specifically) early in the 2022 season while he was with Portland, which forced him to miss a total of 10 games over a total of three weeks.
Bucks to face Mike Budenholzer for first time
Mike Budenholzer is in his first season coaching the Suns, and it is his first job since the Bucks fired him in 2023. Budenholzer coached the Bucks for five seasons from 2018-23 and had a .693 regular season winning percentage (271-120) and guided the team to the 2021 NBA championship.
He had the third-most wins in franchise history for a coach and the best regular-season winning percentage for a coach that completed at least one season.
The Bucks were 39-26 (.600) in the playoffs under Budenholzer, but he was dismissed after a first-round playoff exit vs. Miami.
More: Purchase your commemorative 2021 championship book
What time is the Bucks game?
The game is set for a 9 p.m. CT tip off.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington returning from NCAA Tournament duties to resume the play-by-play call. She will be joined by Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks.
Bucks injury report
- Bobby Portis Jr., out (league suspension)
- Jericho Sims, out (right thumb surgery)
- Damian Lillard, out (right calf soreness)
- Gary Trent Jr., probable (lower back contusion)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (right patella tendinopathy)
Bucks probable starters
- Guards: Ryan Rollins, Taurean Prince
- Forwards: Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Brook Lopez
Bucks vs. Suns odds, over/under
Phoenix is a 2.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, and the over/under is 223.5 points per Bet MGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight? Starters, odds, game time
Continue reading...
