Milwaukee, WI

Bucks’ Jae Crowder ready to begin five-on-five practices: ‘I’ll be much better off than I was before’

Published

2 years ago

January 6, 2024

Bucks’ Jae Crowder ready to begin five-on-five practices: ‘I’ll be much better off than I was before’

HOUSTON – Jae Crowder had an easy smile Saturday night at the Toyota Center, and an air of relief about him too. He’s hit an important mark in his recovery from adductor surgery as he has 3 five-on-five practice sessions scheduled in the coming week.

He said if there was a setback in the recovery process, he was going to take it in stride, “but I did have a set target to get to this point.

“And I pushed myself to get to this point and took care of my body and tried to do the things I needed to do while I’m away from the medical staff, while I’m at home doing the little stuff that I needed to do to get myself back to where I need to be.”

The 33-year-old Milwaukee Bucks forward underwent surgery on Nov. 14 to repair a tear in his left adductor muscle that was aggravated on Nov. 11 in Orlando. He began his first work on the court Nov. 27 and has had a smooth physical recovery since.

The team originally felt he would be able to return to the court approximately eight weeks post-op, and that date is Tuesday.

“I did in the back of my head have this end goal,” he said of his upcoming practices. “This is a goal, an achievement in this process for me and I’m very happy with where I am today. It feels great. It feels like my hard work that I’ve been doing with the medical staff (paid off).

“I’m very thankful for the hands that I’ve been working with on a daily basis and helping me when I had a bad attitude and just coming in and just bearing with me and just keeping the process moving forward. I think I’m very happy with that, I’m very satisfied.

“So when I was able to do five-on-(zero) this week I just felt great. I just had extra juice, I’m just ready to go. I’m pain free right now so I’m very thankful for that.”

On Nov. 30 Crowder admitted having his first major surgery – and ensuing rehab process – was tough to handle mentally, and he said he had four bad days in that regard. But it also corrected an injury he had been managing since the fourth day of training camp.

While he didn’t look too incumbered when the season began in shooting 51.6% from behind the three-point line and 53.2% overall in 26.7 minutes per game, he was playing in pain. He knows being totally healthy can only help – particularly on the defensive end where the Bucks are 22^nd in the league in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions).

“Ultimately, down the line – I don’t know if immediately – but I know down the line I know I’m going to be in a better situation than I was before,” he said. “I felt like I was playing good basketball before. I feel like I’m going to be playing even better basketball post this injury. I really, honestly in my heart I feel that way. I don’t know how soon that’s going to be. I have to ramp myself back up.

“I’ll be on a minute restriction when I come back. That’s going to be frustrating for anybody to stay in a groove or find a groove. But I’m going to stay the course and be very happy and thankful to even be able to put on a uniform again and get some minutes and hopefully heal this thing back up.”

When will Jae Crowder return?

As for the five-on-five practice sessions, which will be aided by the team’s G League affiliate in the Wisconsin Herd, Crowder said there are a few things he wants to feel out before he can put a finger on a return to NBA action. He chuckled and said he couldn’t quite name them all, but first and foremost was not feeling the painful pulling sensation in his left leg when running. Then, he wants to see how he recovers from rigorous, physical practice.

As such, Crowder said has no game circled on the calendar for him to return to the Bucks.

“No, not right now,” he said. “Just keep checking the boxes and not looking too far ahead.”

But, he believes when that time comes he’ll be better off than he was at the start of the season.

“I just want to get back to feeling what I want, what I need to feel,” he said. “I think ultimately that I’ll be better. I think I’ll be better than I was before pre-injury, honestly. Just taking on the challenges of what we need to do, like helping these guys, taking on that matchup of stopping the best offensive player. I think I’ll be much better off than I was before and I felt like I was doing a decent job at it before.”

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee judge calls out marijuana odor in courthouse

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee judge calls out marijuana odor in courthouse

A Milwaukee County judge on Thursday, Feb. 26, criticized the smell of marijuana inside the courthouse during a sentencing hearing, calling it inappropriate and illegal as visitors described the odor as common.

Posted February 26, 2026 9:30pm CST

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks sign Cormac Ryan to two-way contract

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Bucks sign Cormac Ryan to two-way contract

The Milwaukee Bucks signed guard Cormac Ryan to a two-way contract for the remainder of the regular season.
Ryan will be ineligible to play for the Bucks during the postseason.
Ryan averaged 20.4 points per game for the G League’s Wisconsin Herd, shooting 42.3% from three-point range.

The Milwaukee Bucks rewarded Cormac Ryan for his strong G League season with the Wisconsin Herd by signing him to a two-way contract. That will allow Ryan, 27, the chance to finish out the regular season with the Bucks. He would be ineligible for postseason play, however.

Ryan joins former Dominican High School star Alex Antetokounmpo and Pete Nance on two-way deals. The Bucks now have a completely full roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts as well.

Ryan was originally signed by the team in the summer, when he played in five summer league games, before inking a training camp contract. He appeared in two preseason games.

Ryan then played 29 games with the Herd and shot 42.3% from behind the 3-point line to average 20.4 points per game. He shot 48.9% from the field overall.

Ryan, a 6-foot-5 guard, played at Stanford (2018-19), Notre Dame (2020-23) and North Carolina (2023-24) before going undrafted. He averaged 10.4 points per game in college on 35.2% 3-point shooting. He made 40.7% of his 3-pointers in 2021-22 at Notre Dame.

He initially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ryan did not make it out of training camp in 2024 but signed to the Thunder’s G League affiliate.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. Cavs?

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. Cavs?

The Milwaukee Bucks have an opportunity to steal a victory from one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they host the tired and diminished Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Fiserv Forum.

Cleveland (37-22), in contention for a top three seed, beat the New York Knicks on Feb. 24 in Ohio. After flying into Milwaukee after the game, the Cavaliers ruled out MVP candidate Donovan Mitchell and reigning defensive player of the year Evan Mobley. All-star James Harden is questionable to play.

One player who will suit up for Cleveland is point guard Dennis Schröder, who was acquired at the deadline from Sacramento. The 32-year-old is often a thorn in the side of the Bucks, and he scored 24 points in a Kings victory over the Bucks early in the season.

The Bucks are also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, though they slept in their own beds after beating Miami at home. They have won seven of their last nine games.

Milwaukee (25-31) remains out of the postseason picture entirely, however, sitting in 11th place in the East.

The Bucks have beaten teams with winning records in consecutive games only twice this season, with wins over Golden State and New York (Oct. 28-30) and Orlando and Oklahoma City (Feb. 11-12).

And, the Bucks also have struggled against teams that do not have their stars. They lost twice to Denver without all-stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (and even more starters), lost to Minnesota without all-stars Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert and even Portland without starters Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe. They also lost to Philadelphia twice without Joel Embiid and Paul George on a minute limit.

Is Giannis playing?

No.

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is still ramping up in his rehab from a Jan. 23 soleus strain in his right calf, which he self-diagnosed as a four- to six-week injury. Antetokounmpo has done “live” practice work with teammates and coaches after the team returned home from New Orleans beginning on Feb. 21.

Before the game against Miami, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo has not gone five-on-five but does not need to. Rivers also added the two-time MVP has not suffered any setbacks with the injury.

What is the Bucks record without Giannis?

10-16

Milwaukee is 15-15 when Antetokounmpo plays any number of minutes.

Cavaliers on hot streak since trading for James Harden

Cleveland, which was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last year with 64 wins, doubled down its roster heading into this season with the most expensive team in the NBA. But, as the trade deadline approached in early February, the team had fallen short of expectations. So, they began shedding salary and talent, most notably homegrown all-star guard Darius Garland.

They shipped the injured 26-year-old to the Los Angeles Clippers for 36-year-old all-star guard James Harden and received an immediate boost, winning five straight and six of seven heading into the game against the Bucks.

But Harden did suffer a fracture in his right (non-shooting) thumb against the Knicks on Feb. 24.

Harden has been solid since arriving in Cleveland, averaging 18.9 points on 48.8% shooting from behind the 3-point line while also averaging 8.0 assists. His presence has rejuvenated all-star center Jarrett Allen, who has averaged 20.4 points on 76.7% shooting since the point guard’s arrival. Before Harden joining the team, Allen averaged 13.9 points on 60% shooting in his first 40 games.

Taurean Prince, out (neck surgery)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (right calf strain)

Milwaukee Bucks probable starters

Guards: Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green
Forward: Kyle Kuzma
Center: Myles Turner

Cavaliers injury report

Max Strus, out (left foot surgery)
Donovan Mitchell, out (right groin strain)
Evan Mobley, out (left calf injury management)
James Harden, questionable (right thumb fracture)

What time is the Bucks game?

Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m. CT.

What channel is the Bucks game on?

The game will be simulcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and WMLW The M with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the call.