Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing tonight against the Miami Heat? Latest on former champion's status (February 13)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as available for the marquee game against the eighth-ranked Miami Heat (28-25) and will play on the second night of the back-to-back.

Antetokounmpo is coming off a strong performance, spearheading the Bucks' 112-95 win over the reigning champions Denver Nuggets at home on Monday. He ended the night with a game-high 38 points and 18 rebounds, additionally dishing five assists, three steals and two blocks on great efficiency shooting 14 of 19 (73.7%).

With the Bucks' win on Monday, they notched up their first back-to-back win under new head coach Doc Rivers and have now gone 3-5 under him and 4-6 in their last 10.

What happened to Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Giannis Antetokounmpo was listed as probable for the game against the Denver Nuggets before being cleared to play, despite dealing with right knee patellar tendinitis.

His right knee kept him on the injury report from February 4 to 11 due to soreness, though he has played through all the games during this period.

Before his right knee injury, Antetokounmpo was ailing with lower back stiffness and right shoulder contusion for the second half of January. He has also contended with foot, calf, non-COVID illness, hand, and wrist issues.

Antetokounmpo has played in all but two of the Bucks' 54 games and has been available for the team throughout.

Giannis Antetokounmpo stats vs. Miami Heat

Giannis has played the Miami Heat 34 times in his career with an 18-16 record in the regular season, and in the 11 games from the playoffs, he has gone 5-6.

The 2x MVP has averaged 19.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in the regular season and 22.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the playoffs. Indicating improvement in all stat categories with increased playtime and output demand.

Notably, the Bucks and Giannis beat the Heat in the first round of the 2021-22 NBA Playoffs to win their second franchise championship and Antetokounmpo's first, where he averaged 23.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists.

Erik Spoelstra has shown to be one of the best coaches to slow Giannis' averages down and has beaten him twice in the playoffs. Their matchup on Monday will heavily focus on slowing him down as they lack offensive firepower with injuries to Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier.

Defense would be their recipe to win against the new-look Bucks, limiting Giannis to the rim, making him pass more and settling for mid-range shots.

How to watch Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks?

The Milwaukee Bucks host the Miami Heat at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, with tipoff at 8pm ET. The game will be locally broadcast on the Bally Sports Network - WI for home and Sun for away.

The game will also be available for live-streaming on Fubo TV and NBA League Pass, offering viewers a free trial to get access to NBA TV for a week.