Porter has helped the Bucks stay afloat; what’s his Milwaukee future?
Kevin Porter Jr. has helped the Milwaukee Bucks stay afloat without an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo; what’s Porter Jr.’s future in Milwaukee?
CHICAGO – The Milwaukee Bucks look to bounce back from a tough home loss to the New York Knicks when they face the struggling Chicago Bulls at the United Center Sunday, March 1.
The Bucks (26-32) remain in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and since Feb. 3 they are 8-3. The three losses, however, have come to Orlando, Toronto and New York, which are all in the playoff picture. The Bucks lost those three games by a combined 76 points and didn’t score 100 points in any of them.
That stretch of relatively successful play for the Bucks began with a win over the Bulls (24-36) on Feb. 3, and Chicago is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak.
Milwaukee heads back home after the game and will face the red-hot Boston Celtics (39-20) at Fiserv Forum on March 2. Boston is 8-2 in its last 10 games.
Is Giannis playing?
No.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is working through the final stages of his rehabilitation from a Jan. 23 strain of the soleus muscle in his right calf. On the evening of the injury, which was the second strain of that calf of the season, Antetokounmpo predicted he would be out four-to-six weeks. He is currently in the sixth week of that process.
What is the Bucks record without Giannis?
11-17
What times is the Bucks game?
The game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Wesley Matthews and Stephen Watson on the call.
NBA playoff standings
The Bucks are currently out of the postseason picture entirely. Here are the play-in standings in the Eastern Conference heading into game play on March 1:
No. 7: Orlando (31-27): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. The Bucks host the Magic on March 8.
No. 8: Miami (32-29): The Bucks and Magic have split the season series 1-1. Milwaukee travels to Miami on March 12.
No. 9: Charlotte (30-31): The Bucks own the tiebreaker over the Hornets having won the season series 3-1.
No. 10: Atlanta (30-31): The Bucks lead the season series 1-0. The Bucks host the Hawks on March 4 and then travel to Atlanta on March 14.
No. 11: Milwaukee (26-32): The Bucks have had better luck against the play-in teams to date, as they are just 5-13 against the top six seeds in the conference.
The four teams in the play-in will face one another to determine the final two playoff teams (which will face the top two seeds). Teams that hold the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds only have to win one game to advance, teams that hold the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds must win twice to advance
- Taurean Prince, out (neck surgery)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (right calf strain)
- Thanasi Antetokounmpo, out (illness)
Bucks starting lineup
- Guards: Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green
- Forward: Kyle Kuzma
- Center: Myles Turner
Bucks vs. Bulls odds
Milwaukee is a 3.5-point favorite over Chicago with the over/under set at 229.5 points, per BetMGM.
