Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of returning from the right calf strain that has kept the two-time MVP from playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last eight games.
The Bucks issued an injury report that listed Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Bulls at the United Center (7 p.m., CHSN) rather than ruling him out entirely.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since injuring his calf less than three minutes into the Bucks’ 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The injury came on Antetokounmpo’s fourth game back after a left adductor strain caused him to miss four games.
“Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus.”
The Bucks are 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo has missed because of the calf issue. They are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 on Dec. 6, is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season.
The Bulls are looking for their sixth straight victory, which would be their longest of the season. They won their fifth consecutive game Friday, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 109-102 to open a six-game homestand.
