The Milwaukee Bucks are in a tough spot heading into Game 4 on Monday night. It is essentially a must-win game for the team as they are already down 2-1 in their first-round NBA playoff series against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.
The Bucks came out flat in Game 1 and things didn’t get better after Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury in the first quarter. He attempted to play through it but was subbed out one minute into his return to the court in the second quarter.
While there was optimism that he would get back on the court soon, that unfortunately was not the case. Antetokounmpo sat out Game 2, which the Bucks won at home. But, he also missed Game 3, which was a 121-99 blowout victory for the Heat.
Milwaukee was certainly hopeful that Antetokounmpo was nearing a return to the court after doing some individual workouts on Sunday. “We’ll continue to monitor him,” Budenholzer said following a team film session Sunday. “We’ll see how he feels from the session today and see how he wakes up tomorrow.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks & Miami Heat Updates
He must have felt good after the session and when he woke up on Monday, as the Bucks received some excellent news. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Antetokounmpo will be back in the lineup for Game 4 on Monday night after missing the last two contests with a lower back contusion.
This is excellent news for the Bucks, who have struggled to find consistency on both ends of the court without the former MVP in the lineup. He is key to their schemes on both ends of the court but defensively is where they have really missed him.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks & Miami Heat Updates
The Heat came into the postseason as the lowest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging only 109.5 points per game. They were elite defensively, surrendering 109.8 per game, which was second-best in the league.
In the playoffs, Miami has been on fire offensively. Their 124.3 points per game are the most thus far in the NBA Playoffs as Milwaukee has had no success slowing them down. Even more shocking is the fact the Heat are scoring with ease despite being without Tyler Herro, who broke his hand in Game 1.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks & Miami Heat Updates
With Antetokounmpo returning to the lineup, expect the Bucks to get back on track, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He will be key in attempting to slow down Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 30 points per game while shooting an eye-popping, 60.3 percent overall from the field and 66.7 percent on 3-point attempts. His scoring average would be even higher if he wasn’t shooting an uncharacteristic 66.7 percent from the foul line as well.
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