Antetokounmpo out for fifth game with lingering knee issue

Nigeria born Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his fifth game in a row on Saturday night when the team takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo has been dealing with a lingering knee issue that has kept him out of the lineup since January 11. 

All along, the Bucks have maintained that they have no concerns about this being any sort of significant injury. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said Tuesday prior to their win over the Toronto Raptors that they "expect for him to be ready to go soon," but will continue taking things day by day.

He also indicated there has been no setback throughout this process, and the decision for him to continue sitting is based on communication between Antetokounmpo and the medical group about how his knee feels. 

"We continue to think it's the stuff that he and us have dealt with -- for me it's each year that I've been here," Budenholzer said on Monday ahead of the team's win over the Indiana Pacers. "We don't think it's anything more than that. Him being healthy, taking care of him is always our priority, we're probably always going to err on the side of caution because we know how important he is to us."

After he sat both games at home earlier this week, which gave him a full 10 days off, many expected that Antetokounmpo would be back in the lineup on Saturday for their important showdown with the Cavaliers. 

"He's doing a lot of work in the weight room, he's doing some work on the court, he's doing some of his warm-ups," Budenholzer said on Tuesday. "All of those things are part of keeping his knee, keeping everything to where he can play at a high level. That's why -- I know it's the fourth game now and that's not what you want -- in our eyes we're very encouraged and optimistic that he's in a good place. We're just working through another season with him."

Both he and the team, however, have clearly decided that he's not ready. This is the longest absence for Antetokounmpo since Dec. 2021, when he also missed five straight games. 

The Bucks have struggled over the last month but picked up two big wins with Antetokounmpo (and Khris Middleton) out of the lineup to climb back into second place in the Eastern Conference at 29-16. It's one thing to beat the Pacers and Raptors, though, it's another to beat the Cavaliers on the road. The Bucks will need a big game from Jrue Holiday if they want to maintain their spot in the standings.