PHOENIX SUNS
Bucks’ Antetokounmpo upgraded to questionable before Game 1 of Finals
Giannis Antetokounmpo was upgraded from doubtful to questionable on Tuesday morning, hours before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between his Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns.
Antetokounmpo (hyperextended left knee) was listed as doubtful on the Bucks’ injury report released Monday night.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews report that Antetokounmpo is a true game-time decision.
He was seen warming up ahead of Game 1, which is set to tip-off at 6 p.m. Arizona time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo testing out that left knee pregame pic.twitter.com/EmitlIjikd
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) July 6, 2021
“I think the word we’ve used is he’s making progress He did some work on court,” Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer said during his pregame availability Tuesday. “We’ll take a second and listen to him in the back, listen to the medical, listen to the Sports Performance Group and update if there’s any changes or when it’s appropriate.”
The Greek Freak has missed each of his team’s last two games, both of which were Bucks wins over the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the Finals.
“We’ll continue to update it. He’s had a good day. He’s making good progress. But I don’t have expectations either way,” Budenholzer said Monday.
“He’s done court work again today. He’s making progress and we’ll continue to update.”
Antetokounmpo did some basketball activity on Monday, but Budenholzer was remaining tight-lipped on exactly what the two-time MVP is able to do the day before Game 1.
“Think he may walk through a few things, but we’ll kind of determine that when we get out there,” he said.
“I’m just going to leave it — he did court work. So he’s making progress and we’re pleased that he’s making progress,” Budenholzer added.
According to NBA TV and TNT reporter Jared Greenberg, Antetokounmpo “has made significant progress.”
“Giannis — from what I’ve been told — has progressed nicely from not being able to move his leg to kind of being able to do shooting off one leg while that injured leg got healed to now he’s at the point where’s actually able to do some workouts,” Greenberg told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday.
That workout was not held at Phoenix Suns Arena during media availability, but rather at a private gym somewhere in the downtown Phoenix area, Greenberg said, with “an army of observers” watching him.
“Most notably the medical staff, some of the coaches and the general manager of the Bucks,” Greenberg said. “And basically they’re going to put their heads together and make a decision.”
The Suns will host the Bucks in Game 1 of the Finals from Phoenix Suns Arena on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
