Why is Giannis Antetokounmpo not playing tonight against Cavaliers? Latest injury update for Bucks' superstar (January 17, 2024)

Giannis Antetokounmpo will not be in the Milwaukee Bucks' (28-12) lineup on Wednesday when they visit Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (23-15). The "Greek Freak" and two-time NBA MVP is dealing with a right shoulder injury (contusion) and the Bucks have ruled him out for the game.

The Bucks have won three straight games and will take on a Cleveland team that has won five in a row and 10 of its last 13.

What happened to Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Giannis Antetokoumpo has been playing through the injury lately, but he will now sit out the game vs. the Cavs to recover. This will be just the second game this season that the megastar point forward will miss for Milwaukee.

Even though he played through the injury vs the Sacramento Kings, he posted a triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

When will Giannis Antetokounmpo return?

There is no update on how much time Antetokounmpo will miss. Milwaukee kicks off a three-game road trip and will face the Cavs thrice in the next 10 days. The Bucks will have a two-game series vs the Detroit Pistons after Wednesday's game vs the Cavs.

Speaking with the media, he admitted that he desires to play as much as possible this year, as he is coming off the longest offseason of his career and doesn't want to miss any time this year.

"I just want to play games. I just played a lot of games," Antetokounmpo said (via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, per NBA.com). "What is this Game 40? I have only missed one game, which I am very proud of. I just want to be available for my team because I had an offseason where I wasn't really playing basketball, I wasn't able to participate with the national team or practice, so basically this is my practice."

"As much as I can be available for the team and available for myself being out there I try to work through habits with the team and movements and all that. I want to be able to do this, this year."

How to watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks?

The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can watch it on ESPN. For local fans, Bally Sports Wisconsin and Bally Sports Ohio will broadcast the game. International fans can watch it on NBA League Pass.