![\"Is](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770661936_18_giannis-antetokounmpo.jpg\" "\\"Giannis")
Giannis Antetokounmpo. Image via: Getty Images Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play when the Milwaukee Bucks face the Orlando Magic on February 9, 2026. The team has listed him as out on the official injury report due to a right calf strain.This will be another game Milwaukee has to handle without its best player. The Bucks are on the road against a strong Orlando side, and Antetokounmpo\u2019s absence continues to affect both the lineup and the team\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n
Why is Giannis Antetokounmpo off the court tonight vs the Orlando Magic (February 9, 2026)<\/p>\n
Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed six straight games since aggravating the injury in late January against the Denver Nuggets. He has not yet returned to full team activity.The Bucks are treating the injury as day-to-day but are being careful with his recovery. With the All-Star break close and the team still trying to stay in the postseason race, Milwaukee is avoiding any risk of making the injury worse.Head coach Doc Rivers recently said Giannis is \u201cgetting close,\u201d but added that the team wants him fully healthy before he returns.Milwaukee is also dealing with injuries to other rotation players, leaving the squad short-handed for the trip to Orlando.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks adjusting without their star<\/p>\n
The Milwauekee Bucks are 6-14 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. Despite that record, they enter this matchup on a three-game winning streak.Kevin Porter Jr. and Andre Jackson Jr. have taken on larger roles, particularly in ball-handling and scoring. The bench has also seen more minutes as the coaching staff looks for stable combinations.Even so, the team does not have the same interior scoring, transition play, or defensive support that Giannis usually provides. The matchup against Orlando will test how well the group can hold up without him.<\/p>\n
Tough road game ahead<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks go into the game as a double-digit underdog. Orlando has won two straight and remains near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, making this a difficult matchup.Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks will rely more on guard play and rotation depth. The frontcourt is expected to see increased minutes as Milwaukee tries to handle Orlando\u2019s inside scoring.<\/p>\n
Return window still unclear<\/p>\n
The Bucks have not set an exact return date. Reports suggest the team is aiming for a return after the All-Star break if his recovery continues without problems.Antetokounmpo has previously said this type of calf strain can take four to six weeks to heal. That points to a possible return sometime in mid-to-late February.Also read: Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic injury report: Who’s playing, injured and questionable players, head-to-head records, team stats, and more (February 9, 2026)<\/a>When he is cleared to practice fully, the team is expected to monitor his minutes. Milwaukee\u2019s approach shows the focus is on having him ready for the stretch run rather than bringing him back too early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Giannis Antetokounmpo. Image via: Getty Images Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play when the Milwaukee Bucks face the Orlando…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3779],"tags":[7,79453,1845,21838,70970,48,39464,6,47,76,3883],"class_list":{"0":"post-593013","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando-magic","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bucks-game-without-giannis","10":"tag-bucks-injury-report","11":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo-injury-update","12":"tag-giannis-calf-strain-recovery","13":"tag-magic","14":"tag-milwaukee-bucks-vs-orlando-magic","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-orlando","17":"tag-orlando-magic","18":"tag-orlandomagic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}