Bucks injury report: Giannis in danger of missing out on MVP

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DENVER – The Milwaukee Bucks have a chance to capture another winning record on a road trip this season when they face the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena tonight.

The Bucks remain out of the postseason picture entirely at 17-21, in 11^th position in the Eastern Conference. But, they have won six of their last nine games, with five of those wins coming on the road. The team went 3-2 away from Milwaukee Dec. 21-29.

The Nuggets are currently the No. 3 team in the Western Conference at 25-13, but are 3-4 since Nikola Jokić was injured on Dec. 29. Denver is remarkably hurt, with nine players listed on the injury report, but their group of hard-playing reserves beat Philadelphia and Boston on the road Jan. 5-7.

They will likely have forward Aaron Gordon vs. the Bucks however, but star guard Jamal Murray is questionable to play with a left ankle sprain.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes. The Bucks’ MVP candidate is not on the injury report and is set to play in his eighth straight game since returning from a calf strain on Dec. 27. He remains under a minute restriction, however, as he has yet to play 32 minutes. The last three games he has played between 30 and 31:37.

Is Nikola Jokic playing?

Unfortunately for basketball fans wanting to see this era’s preeminent big men play against one another, the 3-time league MVP is not playing against the Bucks as Jokić suffered a knee injury on Dec. 29. Jokić was in the mix for yet another MVP as he was scoring 29.6 points per game while averaging a league-best 12.2 rebounds and a league-high 11.0 assists.

Giannis, Jokic MVP chances hurt by 65-game rule

In the locker room following the Bucks’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 7, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked about the collectively bargained league rule that says players must appear in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, such as all-NBA and MVP.

Antetokounmpo’s adductor and calf injuries have put him at risk of ineligibility, as he has missed 14 full games and played just three minutes in another, meaning he can only miss two more games the rest of this season.

“I’ll be honest with you, like through 13 years of being in the league I think I’ve played 65 games every year, and up, this might be - I’m still gonna try, I think I’m still gonna play 65 games - but it’s hard,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s hard. If you want to be a really good player, help your team get deep in the playoffs and then come back it and then play again 65 games, you do it for a couple of years, because I’ve been all-NBA I think the last nine years in a row, seven-times first team, it’s hard to be consistent.”

Across the court from him on Jan. 10 in Denver is Nikola Jokić. Already a three-time winner of the MVP, Jokić was a favorite for a fourth award as he was leading the NBA in rebounding and assists while averaging over 29 points per game. But, Jokić injured his knee on Dec. 29 and will not be re-evaluated until the end of January. He has only missed seven games to date, but should that original timeline of a potential return hold, Jokić will have missed more than 17 by the end of the month.

“And just putting that rule there, it doesn’t give you a break,” Antetokounmpo said. “The margin of error is hard. You get one injury and you’re off the race. I might not make it. Jokić might not make it. So, again, I was all for it because it kind of benefit me at first but now as I get older I’m like, ah, take it off! Take it off, you know! But at the end of the day, these are the rules you just gotta play by the rules.”

Other players perilously close to becoming ineligible for postseason awards include the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (17 missed games), San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (14) and the Lakers’ Austin Reaves (14)

Former all-NBA players already ineligible include Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams, Dallas’ Anthony Davis and Washington’s Trae Young.