Tuesday night will feature the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Emirates NBA Cup Final.
The Bucks are nearly at full strength, but the Thunder are missing a key piece of their rotation. Let's take a look at the current injury report.
Bucks injury report for Tuesday
Probable:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Right Patella Tendinopathy), Damian Lillard (Right Calf Contusion)
Questionable: Liam Robbins (Left ankle sprain)
Doubtful: Khris Middleton (Illness)
Thunder injury report for Tuesday
Out: Ousmane Dieng (finger), Alex Ducas (Back), Adam Flagler (Metatarsal), Chet Holmgren (Hip), Nikola Topic (ACL), Jaylin Williams (Hamstring)
Absent big man gives Bucks a great opportunity to beat the Thunder
There was a slight scare for the Bucks after it was announced Damian Lillard didn't practice on Monday as precautionary rest for a calf issue. Lillard said he will play.
Another Milwaukee Buck listed as probable was Khris Middleton, but it appears he is trending in the wrong direction after being downgraded to doubtful. With that designation, it would be surprising if he gave it a go.
The big absentee for the Thunder is clearly Chet Holmgren, leaving leaves them undersized in the frontcourt. Isaiah Hartenstein has been starting and doing well, but Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis offer a real problem for Mark Daigneault's team, whose second-tallest player in their semifinal win was Kenrich Williams at 6-foot-7.
Nikola Topic was already confirmed to miss the full season, but Ousmane Dieng and Adam Flagler have both played double-figure games, likely forcing a shortened rotation for the Thunder.
Middleton will be coming off the bench again and has really thrived in that role with Doc Rivers limiting his minutes slightly to keep him ready for the final stretch of games.
Andre Jackson Jr. will play a big part in the game as he takes on the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensive assignment. Where the Bucks can really find success is with Giannis, Lopez and Portis likely finding themselves being guarded by undersized players constantly. OKC will likely rely on big minutes from Hartenstein, which will allow the Milwaukee Bucks big men to wear him down.
Milwaukee will have to be at its best regardless, but expect big opportunities for AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. to hit shots as the defense looks to do their best to contain Giannis. They will mix and match the coverages of the two-time MVP, so he and his teammates will have to be clever to keep the defense guessing, especially with Khris Middleton's status up in the air.
It is a big game for both teams with the Emirates NBA Cup on the line in Las Vegas. The Thunder sit atop the Western Conference with a 20-5 record as they look to assert their dominance. Milwaukee turned their season around after a slow start and are now fifth in the Eastern Conference. Winning the NBA Cup would be a real statement of intent from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks news and analysis.