Giannis and Damian Lillard on Khris Middleton’s milestone
Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on Khris Middleton’s milestone. Middleton just became the Bucks’ fifth all-time goalscorer, passing Michael Redd.
Milwaukee Bucks
CHARLOTTE – The Milwaukee Bucks (7-4) play their second tournament game of the season Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets (3-7) at Spectrum Center.
LaMelo Ball scored 13 points in the first quarter to give the Hornets a 37-28 lead after one frame. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored seven goals for the Bucks.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes, according to head coach Adrian Griffin. The two-time MVP was considered questionable at the start of the day, but was upgraded to probable later in the afternoon.
Bucks injury report
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (treatment for right calf injury)
- MarJon Beauchamp is out (right ankle sprain)
- Chris Livingston is out (left ankle sprain)
- Jae Crowder is out (groin strain surgery)
Khris Middleton is ready to play for the Bucks
For the first time this season, it appears Khris Middleton will play in the first game of back-to-back seasons as he is not on the injury report.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, as the game against the Hornets is an in-season tournament game and falls within the scope of the NBA’s New Player Participation Policy. While Middleton is still on a minutes restriction and has missed two games due to his right knee injury resulting from offseason surgery, he is also considered a “star” player by the NBA due to his 2022 All-Star appearance.
During in-season tournament play, no more than one star player can rest.
With Antetokounmpo likely to play, Middleton and Damian Lillard will need to be available for the Bucks.
Miles Bridges returns from suspension for the Hornets
Charlotte is expected to welcome forward Miles Bridges on Friday night. The 24-year-old missed all of last season due to his June 2022 arrest on domestic violence charges. At the time, he was an unrestricted free agent and no team offered him a contract. He received a suspended sentence in November 2022 and was then suspended by the NBA for 30 games on April 14, 2023 – with 20 of those games deemed to have already been served, even though he was not under contract.
Bridges signed a qualifying offer with the Hornets this summer and just completed the final 10 games of his suspension. Bridges did not face further league disciplinary action for an October incident in which a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating a protective order issued in November 2022.
On Thursday, the Hornets released the following statement: Miles Bridges is eligible to return to our active roster on Friday after serving his NBA suspension. We are pleased with Miles’ return to play based on our current understanding of the facts surrounding the recent allegations and will remain in contact with the NBA as the matter continues in the legal process.
The Hornets have to win against the Bucks
The Bucks enter Friday night’s game 1-0 in group play so far, having beaten New York by five points on Nov. 3. The Hornets are 1-1 and a second loss in a four-game pool scenario would essentially prevent them from advancing to the quarterfinals the week of December 4th.
Charlotte has a plus-1 point lead in their two games, and the overall point difference is the second tiebreaker in group play after head-to-head records.
“It’s definitely an interesting change,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said of the tournament. “Obviously I think the most important thing for us at the moment is to look at each game individually and see what’s right in front of us.
“Obviously it would be a lot of fun to be part of the in-season tournament later, but we just have to focus on ourselves, keep improving and be ready to play a great game against the Hornets, respect them and be us himself.”
The Bucks will play their third tournament game on November 24th against Washington at Fiserv Forum and conclude group play on November 28th in Miami.
What is the In-Season Tournament?
Modeled after various European soccer “cups,” the NBA is introducing round-robin group play with all 30 teams to make regular-season games more meaningful to players and fans. The Bucks are in East Group B and play against New York, Miami, Washington and Charlotte.
The teams that win their groups qualify for single-elimination games for the final eight teams, namely the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. The semifinals and finals will take place in Las Vegas.
The group play portion of the tournament runs from November 3rd to December 3rd. 9. Group games, referred to as “Tournament Nights,” will be played every Tuesday and Friday from November 3rd to November 28th.
What does the Bucks’ regular-season tournament schedule look like?
- Tonight: Bucks at Hornets, 6 p.m
- Friday, November 24th: Bucks vs. Wizards, 6 p.m
- Tuesday, November 28th: Bucks at Heat, 6:30 p.m. (TNT)
Bucks vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds, Spread
According to Bet MGM, the Bucks are 7.5 points favorite to win against the Hornets.
What is the Bucks’ schedule?
Milwaukee travels home to face a rested Dallas team and MVP candidate Luka Dončić at Fiserv Forum on Saturday. The Mavericks, coached by former Bucks head coach Jason Kidd, have not played since Wednesday night.
The Bucks then return to the road and face Jordan Poole, Johnny Davis, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and the rest of the Washington Wizards on Monday.