Bucks' Antetokounmpo out against Nets due to sore right hand

Updated Mar. 9, 2023 6:57 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo has a sore right hand, which forced him to miss a second straight game Thursday night when the Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Brooklyn Nets.

Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks’ 134-123 victory at Orlando on Tuesday with a non-COVID illness. The two-time MVP originally was listed as probable for Thursday’s game but was downgraded to out on a later injury report that cited his hand.

“I don’t think it’s a specific moment or incident or anything like that,” Budenholzer said about the hand issue. “We’ll be monitoring it and watching it closely.”

The Nets also weren't close to full strength.

Brooklyn’s injury report listed Nic Claxton (right thumb sprain/left Achilles tendinopathy), Spencer Dinwiddie (rest), Cam Johnson (right knee soreness), Royce O’Neale (left knee soreness) and Ben Simmons (left back/knee soreness) as out for Thursday’s game.

“It's just how the schedule presented itself,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “We have guys that have some nagging injuries a little bit. It's a chance for us to listen to those nagging injuries and be smart about what the stretch of the season looks like.”

Simmons hasn’t played since Feb. 15.

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