Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Shockingly Ruled Out for Nuggets Matchup

Antetokounmpo will miss his first game since after the All-Star break due to a foot sprain. The Bucks will look to seek their 41st win without him.

Antetokounmpo was initially listed as questionable ahead of this matchup due to his new foot issue. The Greek Freak was a mainstay on the injury report due to a knee and calf issue.

The Bucks star was last on the court on Monday against the Phoenix Suns. In that contest, Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 37 minutes. Antetokounmpo will miss his 13th game of the season.

The 30-year-old has been incredible this season, averaging 30.2 points per game, 12.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 60.0 percent from the field in 34.0 minutes and 59 games.

Not only will the Bucks be without their best player, but they will also be without their second-best player, Damian Lillard. On Tuesday, Lillard was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf. Luckily, the Bucks appeared to catch it on time. Still, Lillard is out indefinitely.

This is a massive blow for the Bucks and their playoff-seeding hopes. As things stand, Milwaukee is the No.5 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they have no shot at making a deep playoff run without one of their best players, let alone two.

Antetokounmpo has bene carrign the laod for the past few games without Lillard, socring 28+ in the last three contests. Bucks went 2-1 in that span.

The Bucks will play the final game of a five-game road trip against the Nuggets on Wednesday. This game is pivotal for the two teams as they jockey for playoff positioning.

The Nuggets enter the matchup as favorites with a -5.5 spread, which is expected to increase.

Denver has been strong at home, boasting a 23-12 record. The team leads the NBA in fast-break scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game in transition, with Christian Braun contributing 4.9 of those.

Meanwhile, the Bucks have struggled on the road, holding a 16-19 record away from home. However, they remain a top-tier shooting team, ranking second in the Eastern Conference with a 38.1 percent three-point shooting percentage.

Milwaukee has underperformed over their last 10 games, going 4-6 while averaging 111.1 points, 41.2 rebounds, 23.4 assists, 8.5 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game on 47.3 percent shooting. Their opponents, on the other hand, have averaged 109.3 points in that stretch.

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