DETROIT – The Milwaukee Bucks are in Detroit for the second night of a back-to-back as they take on the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The Bucks (10-14) upset the Pistons (18-5) at Fiserv Forum on Dec. 3 after Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured, coming back from an 18-point deficit to win.

Is Giannis playing?

No. The Bucks superstar will miss the second straight game since injuring his calf against the Pistons, and coach Doc Rivers believes Antetokounmpo might be out for closer to the four-week mark than not.

Antetokounmpo, who was not on the Bucks bench in their loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 5, will also not be in attendance at Little Caesars Arena.

“He will travel most of the time,” Rivers said after the game against the 76ers. “Our thing is, especially because this just happened, with the blood flow and all the flights and all that stuff, keep him home. After (Dec. 6), we have a four-day break. We’re going to take two days off. I think they need it through this stretch, and then we have two great days of practice, which I’m looking forward to.”

More: Did Giannis request a trade? What is real and what isn’t regarding Bucks star

Is AJ Green playing?

Guard AJ Green exited the game against the 76ers late in the second quarter of the Bucks’ 116-101 loss with an injury to his left, non-shooting, shoulder. The Bucks ruled him out at halftime with a contusion on that shoulder.

Rivers said after the game that Green will travel with the team to Detroit on Dec. 6 and will get imaging on the shoulder on the road.

Green absorbed a big hit on an illegal screen by 6-foot, 11-inch, 279-pound Philadelphia center Andre Drummond with 4 minutes, 4 seconds left in the second quarter. Green stayed in the game initially but after subbing out at the 2:13 mark, Green walked straight to the Bucks locker room.

Green finished the half 0-for-4 from behind the three-point line in 15 minutes of action. He also had two assists.

Without Giannis, Bucks struggle to score

In both instances this season when Antetokounmpo has been injured, Rivers has acknowledged that the team’s margin of error to win games is very thin. And, to date, the Bucks haven’t come out on the right side of that margin.

Heading into the game against the Pistons, the Bucks are 1-6 in games Antetokounmpo completely misses.

As for how the team can perform better without Antetokounmpo, center Myles Turner said, “Well, consistency just down the board. Role clarity is something that is very important, something that I think we’re still learning. I think that we have to continue to believe in what we’re doing.

“I know it was last year, but my team (in Indiana), we were 10-15 at the beginning of the year last year and made our way to the finals. So, it’s never a question of believe on my end. It’s just the collective buy-in and figuring out what that role clarity means.”

And it’s no surprise that one of their biggest issues is on the offensive end. In totality, the Bucks are 20 in the league in scoring at 115.2 points per game. But in the seven games Antetokounmpo has missed, they’ve averaged just 108.1 points per game.

Through the seven-game losing streak in November, the Bucks kept a positive spirit and felt they turned a competitive corner without Antetokounmpo in a three-point loss to Miami on Nov. 26. Antetokounmpo returned two days later in a nine-point loss at New York, but after a fun win over Brooklyn on Nov. 29, the team, in some respects, hit rock-bottom with a three-point loss to the last-place Wizards in Washington.

They bounced back with a big win over the Pistons, but fell behind by 26 points in the first half against Philadelphia.

“I wouldn’t say we’re pressing,” Bobby Portis Jr. said. “I would say more so just trying to play good basketball, getting the ball moving side-to-side, playing with swag, playing with energy, having fun. I think the biggest thing is just having fun. I think, when you have fun, the ball naturally comes to you, you naturally have a good spirit, you naturally do your job.

“In the NBA now, ‘do your job’ is multiple efforts, scrambling, guarding different positions, helping your teammate by making the extra pass, being a great teammate when you come off the court. All those things kind of go into winning. I think it’s on us just to have fun.”

Bucks probable starting lineup

• Guards: Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr.
• Forward: Jericho Sims
• Center: Myles Turner

Residents at Fifth Street School apartments, a senior apartment building at 2770 N. 5th St., pleaded with the property owner for help when drug use, public nudity and other illicit activity took over the public spaces in the complex.

The trespassers, residents said, created an environment where tenants felt unsafe in their own homes. They notified the property manager and owner, Gorman & Company, requesting one thing − a security guard.

Residents who spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said they spent years expressing their grievances to the property management and Milwaukee Police but saw no real change.

Since 2020, there have been over 500 police calls made to the Fifth Street School apartments, according to Milwaukee police records. Despite this, the property was not listed as a nuisance − a designation that could result in fines for the property owner if changes aren’t made and additional enforcement support from the police department and the Department of Neighborhood Services.

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee family is asking for the community’s help after their car was stolen from their driveway with all their children’s Christmas presents inside.

Kristina Fults-Yang asked her husband Eli to start their 2014 Toyota RAV4 on what seemed like any other winter morning to warm it up before she headed out for the day.

“I came outside, literally didn’t see any cars here,” Eli said. “So I’m like, okay, someone stole our car.”

The couple discovered their blue Toyota RAV4 was gone from their backyard driveway earlier this week, leaving them without transportation and facing a devastating loss during the holiday season.

“On top of that, we had all of their Christmas gifts in the car, and we were just devastated,” Kristina Yang said.

The stolen items included approximately $300 worth of Christmas presents for their four children, plus their daughter’s car seat and stroller.

Watch: Milwaukee family’s car stolen with Christmas gifts inside

Milwaukee family’s car stolen with Christmas gifts inside, asks for community help

“Really sad to know that all the hard work that we’ve done to get things done, I actually picked up some days at work to try to make some things happen,” Kristina said.

Milwaukee police are investigating the crime and searching for unknown suspects. The department has reported just over 4,800 vehicle thefts so far this year, down 19% from the same time last year.

The Yang family is asking anyone who sees their blue Toyota RAV4 with a crack in the window and a dent in the back to report it to the police immediately.

They Yang Family

While the family has security cameras, they were not turned on the night of the theft, something they plan to change in the future.

“Just take caution because you don’t know until it’s you, and that’s how it was for us,” Kristina said.

The theft has put the family’s Christmas celebration in jeopardy, but they’re relying on their faith to get through this difficult time.

“It just kind of makes you wonder, is your family safe, is your household safe?” Eli said.

This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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