The Milwaukee Bucks already have one foot in the playoffs. How? Well, the Bucks are 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and boast an impressive 40-30 record. So, a place in the postseason is as good as confirmed! However, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. now have their eyes set on the 4th seed currently held by the Pacers. You must be wondering, why? It’s because the 4th seed will give Milwaukee a precious home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. To get that home-court advantage they’ll need to surpass Indiana.
Unfortunately, the Bucks might be in some trouble! That’s because they’ve announced major updates before their highly anticipated clash with the Suns and it doesn’t look good. Milwaukee has released its injury report and yet again they’ll be without their point guard, Damian Lillard. The 34-year-old has already missed back-to-back games and a big question mark over his fitness is becoming a massive cause of concern for Milwaukee fans. Should they be worried about Dame’s injury? Well, it’s hard not to. Lillard is out with a calf injury right now and the playoffs are just 13 games away.
He’s already missed 12 games this season and while the Bucks have held their ground without their veteran superstar, the playoffs are a different ball game altogether. Lillard has been the No. 2 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s averaging 24.9 and 7.1 assists per game, so it’s a no-brainer that Milwaukee is much better with him on the court. If having their starting point guard wasn’t enough! The Bucks now could also be without their franchise player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yes! Ahead of the Phoenix clash the Greek Freak has also joined Lillard on the injury list. He’s questionable for the matchup due to a concerning knee injury. Having Lillard out was already devastating news for Milwaukee, now if Giannis is also out they might be in some real trouble.
Bucks injury report for Monday’s game in Phoenix:
Out:
Damian Lillard (Right Calf Soreness)
Bobby Portis Jr. (League Suspension)
Jericho Sims (Right Thumb UCL Sprain)
Probable:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Right Patella Tendinopathy)
Gary Trent Jr. (Lower Back Contusion)
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 24, 2025
Needless to say, the power forward is the heart of this team and without him, they might not even be in playoff contention. So, the Bucks will hope Giannis is fit once again and the injury is not too serious. Moreover, they also are running thin at the five with Jericho Sims out due to a torn ligament in his right thumb and Gray Trent Jr. is also on day-to-day. These injuries have left Milwaukee HC Doc Rivers in a dilemma with the postseason just around the corner. The Bucks boss also admitted that there might be some trouble looming over his team. This makes you think, what trouble?
Milwaukee Bucks HC Doc Rivers confirms locker room concerns amid injury troubles
The playoff race is heating up! While the Bucks don’t have to worry about missing out on the postseason, they’ve got much larger issues to think about. Milwaukee is heading to Phoenix next to take on the Suns looking to overtake the Pacers and snatch their 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Whether or not they’ll be able to do so with 13 games remaining is one thing, but they must find their identity before the business end of the season starts. That’s much more important going forward.
Feb 15, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) look on during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports.
After they got the job done in Sacramento, a journalist asked Doc Rivers if he was able to get Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. together working like a well-oiled machine and most importantly discovering their identity. “We um are not going to be able to have that March you know melding because some of these guys aren’t going to play.” Rivers stated. The Milwaukee boss suggested that as much as he’d love to get the team together and gear up for the postseason, he cannot due to unfortunate and untimely injuries. We already know Damian Lillard is out with a calf problem, and Giannis isn’t a hundred percent. Moreover, they don’t have a big difference from Brook Lopez because newly acquired Jericho Sims is out with an injury.
Piling up on the misery is Bobby Portis Jr.’s 25-game suspension! Sure enough, they won’t be able to gel up before the playoffs. Most importantly, Rivers is aware of the issues at hand. However, he won’t let these adversities define his team’s identity! “I think we know our identity anyway, I think we know who we are, I think uh rotationally wise, I think we we’re pretty sure how we want to play and I think we’ll be fine.” Rivers emphasized. We’ve already seen this team bounce back after a horrendous start, so there’s no doubt they are resilient and know how to fight back. Will the Bucks be able to do that again in the playoffs? One way or the other, we’ll soon find that out as well.
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