Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Wednesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets because of a sprained left foot.
Antetokounmpo has played in all 18 games since the All-Star break but missed 12 before the break due to right knee and left calf injuries.
The 30-year-old played 37 minutes Monday night in Milwaukee’s 108-106 loss to the Suns in Phoenix. He scored 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds.
On the season, the two-time league Most Valuable Player is averaging 30.2 points (second in NBA) and 12.0 rebounds (sixth) per game.
His absence is a double blow for the Bucks (40-31), who learned Tuesday that guard Damian Lillard will be sidelined indefinitely due to deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) in his right calf.
A nine-time All-Star, Lillard is averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in 58 games (all starts) in his second season with Milwaukee.
For Denver, the Nuggets announced Wednesday afternoon that their superstar, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, has been upgraded to questionable and is “trending towards making his return tonight.” He last played March 15, scoring 40 points and adding 13 rebounds in a loss to the Washington Wizards.
He has missed the past five games with a left ankle impingement.
Jokic, 30, is averaging a triple-double on the season: 29.1 points (third in NBA), 12.8 rebounds (third) and 10.3 assists (second).
The game Wednesday is important to both the Bucks and Nuggets (45-28), who are jostling for playoff position as the regular season draws to a close. The Bucks are trying to stave off the Detroit Pistons for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Nuggets are just a half-game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies for the third seed in the West.
