MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo was back in action Tuesday after sitting out one game because of tendinopathy in his left shoulder.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said at his pregame media session that the two-time MVP would be available for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Antetokounmpo had been listed on the injury report as probable after sitting out a 111-107 victory at New Orleans on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo, 30, ranks second in the NBA in scoring (30.5) and sixth in rebounding (11.9).
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The game also marks Bucks forward Bobby Portis‘ return from a 25-game suspension. Portis had been suspended after testing positive for the painkiller tramadol.
Rivers said that it was human nature for Portis to feel angry about the suspension initially because “you feel like you’ve been branded a cheater when you know you didn’t cheat.” Rivers said it probably took Portis “a couple of good weeks” to get over that.
“He was doing the work, but his spirit wasn’t Bobby,” Rivers said. “And I don’t know when that turned, but it definitely turned. I thought the workouts really helped him. As crazy as it sounds, card games on the plane helped him. Maybe he was winning. Maybe the guys were letting him win, who knows? But I thought all that stuff helped him. It takes a family sometimes to get through stuff, and I thought our guys really, really embraced him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
