Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have been trying their best to maintain a good rank in the Eastern Conference. Having gone through changes from the off-season up to the 2024 All-Star Weekend, it has been tough to cope with. The Bucks are coming off a loss to the Boston Celtics. But they still rank second in the East behind the Celtics.
“They won the battle tonight. The war’s ahead of us.” pic.twitter.com/ds17XSELGq
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 21, 2024
They will be hosting the Brooklyn Nets for their third and final regular season game against each other. The Bucks are up 2-0 in the series. Brooklyn had a decent start to the season, however, injuries played a major role in their decline leading up to the 2024 All-Star break. Unfortunately, they’ve been on a four-game losing streak. While being the 11th seed in the East, they have very little wiggle room left for error.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is ruled out for the Bucks vs Nets game
Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed two games in a row due to a hamstring injury. The Bucks claim that he is experiencing hamstring tendonitis but haven’t revealed the intensity of the injury. Without him, the Bucks have gone 3-2. He will miss the upcoming game against the Nets as well. The Bucks do not have any other players listed on their injury report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo with the left
— FastBreakPhenom (@FastBreakPhenom) March 15, 2024
Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Out)
Milwaukee Bucks Expected Lineup:
- Damian Lillard
- Malik Beasley
- Khris Middleton
- Jae Crowder
- Brook Lopez
Brooklyn Nets Injury Report:
- Dorian Finney-Smith (Out)
- Nic Claxton (Questionable)
- Ben Simmons (Out)
- Dariq Whitehead (Out)
Brooklyn Nets Expected Lineup:
- Dennis Schroder
- Cam Thomas
- Mikal Bridges
- Cameron Johnson
- Day’Ron Sharpe
Hitting the road pic.twitter.com/CKAUglfhOF
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 20, 2024
If Nic Claxton misses this game, it will be the Nets’ biggest setback for the night. Brooklyn has been facing multiple injuries over the last couple of months. It started with Cam Thomas and eventually Claxton and a few others. Thomas had an incredible run during the initial part of the season. He averaged nearly 30 points per game before losing his stride to injuries.
The Bucks are still favored against the Nets without Giannis Antetokounmpo
We have established that the Bucks have the upper hand this season considering they’re 2-0 against the Nets. But losing Giannis Antetokounmpo means they’ll have a consistent 30 points shaved off from their offense. Antetokounmpo is also one of their biggest defensive pieces as well. However, Damian Lillard made a positive attempt to help the Bucks win against the Celtics.
DAMIAN LILLARD!!!! pic.twitter.com/UloEujiTP1
— Bucks Brasil (@milwaukee_bra) March 21, 2024
Even though they lost, Lillard scored 32 points. The 8x NBA All-Star had another 30-point performance against the Suns in their previous matchup. Bobby Portis did a wonderful job leading the benching in scoring while Brook Lopez worked both sides of the floor. The Nets do not have the same kind of leverage as the Bucks, which makes this an easier matchup for the latter.