Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2023 NBA playoffs as one of the favorites to win the coveted championship, and for good reason. After all, the Bucks finished the season on a strong note, earning homecourt advantage through the entirety of the postseason. But in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat, Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury, effectively setting the tone for what has turned out to be a disastrous first four games thus far for the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks deemed Antetokounmpo's injury to be serious enough that he missed Games 2 and 3 after missing a chunk of Game 1. But with Milwaukee down 2-1, Antetokounmpo tried his best to be his most impactful self with a Game 4 return, dropping a 26-point, 10-rebound, and 13-assist triple-double in 38 minutes of action. However, it resulted in defeat all the same as Jimmy Butler simply became too overpowering for the Bucks defense.

Now down 3-1, Giannis Antetokounmpo's presence will be of utmost importance to the Bucks' bid to avoid utter embarrassment. Thus, plenty will be tuning in for the answer to the question of, Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing tonight in a must-win Game 5 vs. the Heat?

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Giannis Antetokounmpo injury status vs. Heat

In Game 4, Giannis Antetokounmpo may have turned in an impressive performance vs. the Heat, but he clearly wasn't 100 percent healthy yet. Members of the Bucks training staff made sure to relax Antetokounmpo's back with a massage gun during the game.

But Bucks fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as barring any unforeseen development, Antetokounmpo is on track to suit up with their backs against the wall. The Bucks have tagged him as “probable” to play despite a lower back contusion, according to the latest injury report.

True enough, Giannis has now been upgraded to available for Wednesday's do-or-die clash.

With this Heat team's confidence at an all-time high, Antetokounmpo will have to turn in a dominant performance to avoid being just the sixth one-seed in NBA history to lose in the first round of the playoffs (just the fifth in the seven-game first round era).

But for now, the answer to the question of whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing later tonight against the Heat is “yes”.