Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Who is playing tonight vs. Celtics?

The Milwaukee Bucks will have a few more players available on April 3 when they face the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum, as the team has decided to get players ready for the remaining home games down the stretch. The game against the Celtics will be the Bucks’ third-to-last of the season in Milwaukee. Boston (50-25) heads in as one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams and has been bolstered by the return of Jayson Tatum, who suffered a torn Achilles in the NBA playoffs.

Milwaukee (30-45) could use a loss to stay within striking distance of Chicago (29-46) for the ninth-worst record in the league and slightly better lottery odds for a top pick in the upcoming draft. A loss could also help close the percentage point gap with New Orleans (25-51), which can swap draft positions with Milwaukee should the Bucks’ pick be lower in the draft order. Is Giannis playing?

No. The Bucks continue to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo out of games after he suffered a hyperextension of, and bone bruise in, his left knee on March 15 . The game against Boston will be the 10th straight game he’s missed in 19 days.

Immediately following the game in which he sustained the injury, Antetokounmpo made it clear he thought he could finish the game. And despite the Bucks saying he suffered no structural damage on March 17, the team has ruled him out. That decision has rankled Antetokounmpo , which resulted in a statement on Antetokounmpo’s behalf from the National Basketball Players Association (March 24) and an acknowledgement from NBA commissioner Adam Silver that the league would look into it (March 25).