The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will face off in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinal on Saturday.
Both teams are dealing with question marks, but luckily, it feels like a good chunk of core components from each side will be on the court. That said, let us break down the injury reports.
Bucks injury report against Hawks
Probable: Giannis Antetokounmpo (right patella tendinopathy), MarJon Beauchamp (left hamstring tendinopathy), Khris Middleton (bilateral ankle surgery)
This is among the cleanest injury reports the Milwaukee Bucks have submitted this season. Giannis has been dealing with this tendinopothy all season, and it will likely continue to feature on the injury report consistently. The same goes for Khris Middleton, who is slowly being eased into the swing of things following his duel ankle surgeries, so he will be on the list often.
Hawks injury report against Bucks
Probable: Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis), De'Andre Hunter (right knee injury management), Bogdan Bogdanovic (left quad contusion)
Questionable: Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain), Dominick Barlow (G-League - Two-way), Mouhamed Gueye (G-League - on assignment), Seth Lundy (G-League - Two-way), Keaton Wallace (G-League - Two-way)
Out: Cody Zeller (not with team)
The prominent question for Atlanta is whether Jalen Johnson will be able to give it a go. He was a key factor in Atlanta's win over Milwaukee earlier this season, dropping 23 points en route to a 119-104 win. He's a rising star in this league, and playing without him would obviously make things harder for the Hawks. This will likely come down to a game-time decision.
Outside of Johnson, it appears all of Atlanta's stars will give it a go, given the probable designation.
Notes for Bucks NBA Cup matchup vs. Hawks
Unlike their first matchup of the season, the Bucks will likely have Khris Middleton in the mix against Atlanta for this matchup. While Middleton has shown reasonable signs of rust in his return, he's made a clear impact coming off the bench. Middleton had quite a series versus Atlanta in the 2021 playoffs, and perhaps playing them once again on a somewhat big stage could awaken something within him.
With quick, shifty guards like Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta is a team that can give the Bucks some trouble, as they did in the first matchup. Milwaukee needs a strong defensive showing from Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green on the perimeter to slow them down.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.