The Milwaukee Bucks are running out of time — and running out of healthy bodies. On Sunday, March 1, they travel to Chicago to face the Bulls at the United Center without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains sidelined with a right calf strain now entering its sixth week of rehabilitation.
For a Bucks team sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference and outside the play-in picture, this is exactly the kind of game they cannot afford to let slip away.
Giannis Remains Sidelined for the Bucks
Giannis sustained the injury on January 23 — the second calf strain of the season for the two-time MVP. He is now deep into a projected four-to-six week recovery timeline, and Milwaukee has gone 11-17 in his absence this season. That record tells the full story of how much the Bucks still revolve around their franchise player.
At 26-32, Milwaukee has shown flashes of competitiveness, going 8-3 since February 3. But the three losses in that run came against Orlando, Toronto, and New York by a combined 76 points, with the Bucks failing to crack 100 points in any of those contests. The inconsistency is impossible to ignore.
Bucks Lean on Turner and Kuzma Without Giannis
With Giannis unavailable, the offensive burden continues to fall on a rotating cast of contributors. In Friday’s loss to the New York Knicks, Myles Turner led Milwaukee with 19 points and four rebounds, while Kyle Kuzma added 17 points and four rebounds. Bobby Portis and Ousmane Dieng have also absorbed expanded roles on both ends of the floor.
Taurean Prince remains out following neck surgery, further thinning Milwaukee’s options. The starting lineup features Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. in the backcourt alongside AJ Green, Kuzma at forward, and Turner at center — a unit that has shown fight but lacks the ceiling that Giannis provides every night he is healthy.
Sunday’s matchup against Chicago takes on added weight given what follows — Milwaukee hosts the Boston Celtics on March 2. The Celtics are 39-20 and have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, making a win over a wounded Bulls team a valuable confidence builder before one of the season’s harder remaining tests.
Chicago Bulls Fight to End a Brutal Losing Streak
The Bulls enter Sunday’s game at 24-36 and riding the longest losing streak of their season — 11 straight defeats. A loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday extended the skid and effectively buried whatever slim postseason hopes Chicago was still clinging to.
Matas Buzelis has been one of the few consistent bright spots, finishing Thursday’s game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Tre Jones contributed 19 points and four assists off the bench. Both players will again be counted on heavily Sunday, with the Bulls dealing with a lengthy injury list of their own.
Anfernee Simons is out with a fractured left wrist, Patrick Williams is sidelined with a right quad strain, and Jalen Smith remains out with a right calf strain. Zach Collins, Jaen Ivey, and Noa Essengue are also unavailable. With so much firepower missing, Rob Dillingham, Jones, and Collin Sexton are expected to carry the backcourt load.
Giannis Return Could Flip the Eastern Conference Race
The bigger picture is still very much in play for Milwaukee. Orlando holds the seventh seed at 31-27, Miami sits eighth at 32-29, Charlotte and Atlanta are tied ninth and tenth at 30-31. The Bucks trail that group at 26-32 but hold favorable tiebreakers against both Charlotte and Atlanta, keeping a narrow path back into contention alive.
Every game from here matters. A win over a depleted Chicago team on Sunday would not just halt Milwaukee’s inconsistency — it would send a message that the Bucks are not done fighting, even without Giannis leading the charge.
