Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing tonight against the LA Lakers? Latest on Bucks superstar's status (Mar. 20)

Giannis Antetokounmpo is determined to get the Milwaukee Bucks back to the championship picture. With the Bucks (38-30) currently sitting at fifth place in the Eastern Conference, there's still a chance that they can at least secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee has a chance to inch closer to the East's top four when they take on the LA Lakers on Thursday. For this game, Antetokounmpo has been deemed as probable despite having to contend with knee issues. As per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, it's likely that he'll suit up for the Bucks when they visit Crypto.com Arena.

Antetokounmpo, in fact, has been dealing with right patella tendinopathy for quite some time now. Still, he has played 15 consecutive games since action resumed after the All-Star Break. During that stretch, the Bucks have gone 9-6.

Aside from Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard (groin) and Gary Trent Jr. (knee) have also been listed as probable in the game against the Lakers. Meanwhile, Jericho Sims will be sidelined due to a thumb sprain while Bobby Portis Jr. is still serving his suspension as a result of violating the NBA's anti-drug program.

This season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. In his 12th season with the Bucks, he remains the team's most vital cog on both ends of the floor. As such, his availability becomes more and more crucial as the Bucks look to secure or even improve their playoff spot.

Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his way to all-time NBA scoring list

Aside from helping orchestrate the success of his team, Antetokounmpo has pulled off an impressive individual accomplishment.

After the Bucks faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Mar. 9, Nehm tweeted about the Greek Freak making NBA history:

"Per Bucks PR: Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Tom Chambers (20,049) to move up to No. 50 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list," Nehm posted on X.

Heading into the game against the Cavs, Antetokounmpo had 20,047 career points, just two shy of Tom Chambers' 20,049. After putting up 30 that night, Antetekounmpo overtook Chambers to claim spot no. 50 on the list of all-time leading scorers in the NBA.

Antetokounmpo currently has a total of 20,195 points. The next player for him to surpass on this list is Joe Johnson, who scored 20,407 points in his career.