A pair of critical Milwaukee Bucks players have been ruled out ahead of the club’s second Charlotte Hornets game in three days. Two other, less important pieces are also on the shelf, while the single-most important player on the squad remains a question mark.
Per the NBA’s most recent injury report, starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and 3-and-D swingman Taurean Prince are sidelined once again.
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Prince has been sidelined indefinitely with a herniated disc in his neck. Porter, meanwhile, will be out for at least the next several weeks recovering from a right knee meniscus surgery. Two-way players Alex Antetokounmpo (Giannis’ little brother) and Pete Nance are away from the team and with Milwaukee’s Oshkosh-based G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is probable to play through a left knee patellar tendinopathy that kept him out of the two teams’ prior encounter Wednesday, a 111-100 Charlotte victory. Sans Prince or Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma earned the starting power forward nod ahead of sixth man Bobby Portis.
Kuzma notched a scant eight points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field, four assists and three rebounds, far underperforming his current $22.4 million contract for the season. The Hornets had three players score 16 or more points and five players in double digits, led by Miles Bridges’ 20-point night and rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 17-point, nine-rebound outburst in just 26:31.
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Milwaukee point guard Ryan Rollins has leveled up as a scorer and ball handler while starting for Porter, to the point where he may have just earned permanent starting duties. Against Charlotte, he took on an outsized scoring burden, notching 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field (4-of-6 from distance) and 1-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe, six assists, five rebounds and a steal.
Key Hornets Injury Absences
Charlotte, meanwhile, will be without six players, including standout forward Brandon Miller (left shoulder subluxation) and veteran forward Grant Williams (right knee surgery).
In a happy surprise, the Hornets’ best player, All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, is finally probable to make a return from the right ankle impingement that has held him out for the last 13 days.
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