Giannis Antetokounmpo

Bucks still have firepower despite Giannis' absence

Published Jan. 22, 2018 1:44 p.m. ET

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is nursing a sore knee, but don't write the Milwaukee Bucks off just yet.



The Bucks will be without their MVP candidate for the second straight game Monday when they take on the Phoenix Suns. However, they should have enough firepower left to deal with the listless Suns.

Phoenix (17-29) has won just four of its last 10 games, and still has a pair of star scorers to contend with in forward Khris Middleton and guard Eric Bledsoe, who they know well. The latter -- who left the desert after all-but-demanding a trade on Twitter -- torched the Suns in their first meeting post-trade, scoring a season-high 30 points.

Middleton shined in the Bucks' first game without Antetokounmpo, posting 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double. All five starters -- Middleton, Bledsoe, Tony Snell, John Henson and rookie Sterling Brown -- scored in double figures in that game, a 116-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Notes:

-- When he's on, Antetokounmpo remains a game-breaker. The Bucks are averaging 101 points per 100 possessions without "The Greek Freak" this year, down from 109.4 with him.

-- The Bucks have racked up a combined 20-plus assists in each of their 14 home games, the fourth-best streak in the league.

-- The Suns are tied for 20th in the league with a -2.2 average differential in points in the paint. The Bucks are 20-10 when the differential favors them.

-- Milwaukee has won five straight against Phoenix, a streak that dates back to Dec. 20, 2015.

Statistics courtesy of STATS

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Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks