The Milwaukee Bucks will get Giannis Antetokounmpo back for Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls after a two-game absence due to a back injury, along with starting point guard Eric Bledsoe, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. Wesley Matthews is listed as out with a right thigh contusion.
The Bucks have not missed a beat without The Greek Freak in their lineup, rolling past the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic and still holding the best record in the league with a 29-5 mark.
Antetokounmpo and company will be aiming to finish the calendar year with 30 wins on the season. Milwaukee is a heavy favorite against the 13-20 Bulls.
The Bucks have been carefully monitoring Antetokounmpo's back injury, ensuring he's able to get to the postseason without any major setbacks and ready to make another deep run after a disappointing exit in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer addressed the injury last week:
“His back is something I guess would be in that category of something we manage and keep our eyes on, and sometimes it flares up,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before Friday's game, via ESPN. “Today it's enough that he can't play. But you're hopeful that it's not anything significant, even though it is something that we kind of monitor on a regular basis.”
When healthy, Giannis Antetokounmpo has destroyed stat sheets, averaging 30.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks on the season. He's also making a career-best 1.7 3-pointers per game, though he's shooting a career-worst 59.7% from the foul line on 10.3 attempts per game.
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