Good news! Eric Nehm, Bucks beat writer for The Athletic, has reported that the Bucks expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to return from his right calf strain tonight against the Chicago Bulls (pending his clearing pregame fitness testing). It is safe to assume he will be on some sort of minutes restriction as the Bucks ramp him up to his standard minute load.
Antetokounmpo went down in the opening minutes of Milwaukee’s December 4 game against the Detroit Pistons and has missed the last eight games, with the Bucks winning two of those. Giannis’ return comes at a good time, with the Bucks’ next five opponents having .500 or below records (Chicago, Charlotte x2, Washington, and Sacramento). Hopefully, the big fella can juice the team on both ends and help nab some wins in the immediate future.
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The Bulls have been playing out of their skin of late, winning six of their last seven games, five of which came against teams currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture; like the Bucks, the Bulls are also on a back-to-back, having beaten the Philadelphia 76ers last night. Giannis has appeared in 17 games this season and is averaging 28.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 10.1 RPG on 63.9% shooting from the field.