The Milwaukee Bucks will not have one member of their bench when they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns in Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals. The team placed reserve forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the injury report ahead of the game and indicated that he will be out following his entry into the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Bucks’ Thanasis Antetokounmpo has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. Suns.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 17, 2021
Antetokounmpo, the older brother of star Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, has only appeared in one game during the Finals, appearing for all of 93 seconds during the team’s Game 3 win in Milwaukee. He’s gotten some run this postseason as a high-energy option off the bench, or as a player who can give other frontcourt options a chance to catch their breath before media timeouts or the end of periods. Antetokounmpo appeared in 57 games this season, averaging 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes a night.
Outside of the fact that a player had to get placed in the protocols, Milwaukee is flying high heading into Game 5, having won each of the last two games to tie the series up at two games each. They have yet to win a game in Phoenix, though, and the Suns will have their eyes on defending their home court and moving one game away from a championship.
Game 5 between the Bucks and Suns is slated to tip off at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.