Bucks list Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game as he nears return from calf strain

CHICAGO — Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of recovering from the right calf strain that has kept the two-time MVP from playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last eight games.

The Bucks issued an injury report that listed Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game in Chicago rather than ruling him out entirely.

Announcement

Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since suffering a calf injury less than three minutes after the Bucks’ 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The injury came in Antetokounmpo’s fourth game back after a left adductor strain caused him to miss four games.

“Maybe it was a mistake that I came back a little early, because once you come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “The only way to pop your soleus is to overcompensate and then have an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all the things I was thinking about and trying to get back to led to the accident I had with my soleus.”

The Bucks went 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo missed because of the calf injury. So far this season, the Bucks are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him.

Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 on Dec. 6, averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season.