Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo had an eventful Monday night.

On the way to a 128-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors, Anetetokounmpo attempted to block an RJ Barrett layup late in the second quarter. On the attempt, Giannis seemed to catch his pinky on the rim and checked out of the game.

Visibly uncomfortable, the two-time MVP returned to the contest with a wrap on his finger. By doing so, he clinched a historic triple-double, per AP News’ Tim Reynolds. No player has ever posted an 11-point, 12-rebound, and 13-assist triple-double in league history.

After the game, that was not the cause of the most discussion among reporters, rather the health of the Greek superstar was the hot topic at the press conference. Head coach Doc Rivers spoke on Antetokounmpo.

“He needed stitches. He didn’t want to come out because he felt like he could finish, but it kept bleeding. It definitely was affecting him. You could see it really was hurting his ballhandling a little bit,” Rivers said. “I think he’s good. I just think it’s stitches, but I actually don’t know where. I think it’s somewhere on his hand.”

Antetokounmpo required three stitches on his right hand.

After the game, Antetokounmpo did not seem to be concerned, telling reporters that he was “fine” and was not going to “overthink” this injury.

The power forward was previously listed as a game-time decision as they look toward tonight’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs but has been upgraded to probable according to Rivers.

Other ailing Bucks upgraded to available are Khris Middleton, despite surprisingly being listed as out Monday night due to ankle tendinitis, and Andre Jackson Jr., who despite a setback in his back injury will be available for Wednesday.

Antetokounmpo is enjoying an MVP-caliber season, once again. He leads the league in scoring with 31.6 points per game, and is sixth in the league in rebounds with 11.6 per game. Before the injury-impacted Monday night performance, he was averaging 32.3 points per game.

Middleton is another Buck who is a high-impact player, when available. In 12 appearances this season, he is averaging 12.7 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the three-point line.

At 18-16, which is good for the No.5 seed in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee needs all the help they can get as they make another playoff push.

More Bucks: Doc Rivers Lays Into ‘Disappointing’ and ‘Frustrating’ Bucks Losses

 Happy World Typing Day; the perfect day to announce Qwertyfest MKE details! Also, OnMilwaukee is a proud sponsor of Qwertyfest.The typewriter was invented in Milwaukee 150+ years ago, and Qwertyfest MKE returns for the third year to celebrate the keyboard that changed the world (and still exists on our phones and computers today!) 

Qwertyfest is a three-day festival featuring music, art, history, food, drink, workshops, type-ins and more! The third annual event will take place Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5 at numerous locations throughout Milwaukee.

A full schedule of Qwertyfest MKE ’25 will be released later this year, but for now, you can count on:

• Opening night “Typewriter Ball” at Turner Hall
• Writers’ soiree at Newsroom Pub
• Typewriter brunch and bowling at Falcon Bowl
• Literary cemetery tours at Forest Home Cemetery (featuring the gravesite of typewriter inventor Christopher Latham Sholes)
• Live music, workshops, art-making, vending and more!

To stay in the loop, follow Qwertyfest on Instagram and Facebook. 

Qwertyfest MKE is currently looking for participants, sponsors and more. Contact organizers Tea Krulos or Molly Snyder (hey, that’s me!) at qwertyfest@gmail.com.

Here are photos from Qwertyfest 2023:

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The San Antonio Spurs season has been filled with ups and downs. Every time they manage to get a few games over .500, a string of disappointing games takes them right back to even. The Spurs started a five-game road trip with a loss to the Chicago Bulls in which they blew a 19-point lead. It’s their second loss in a row where the game was decided in the final minutes. Now they’ll travel north to face the Milwaukee Bucks and one of the best players in the world.

There were plenty of late-game fireworks the last time Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo played each other. Wembanyama’s “he’s arrived” moment came when he stuffed the Greek Freak at the rim in clutch time on national TV. Now the two abnormal superstars are muttered in the same breath and are a must-watch basketball matchup.

Milwaukee has turned things around after a tough start to the year but is 2-4 in their last six games. San Antonio will need to be on their A-game to get back above .500 and bounce back from a disappointing two-game stretch.

San Antonio Spurs (18-18) at Milwaukee Bucks (18-16)

January 8th, 2025 | 8:30 CT

Watch: ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Jeremy Sochan – Out (back), Sidy Cissoko – Out (G League), Riley Minix – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), David Duke Jr. – Out (G League)

Bucks Injuries: Giannis Antetokounmpo – Probable (knee), Andre Jackson Jr. – Probable (back), Khris Middleton – Probable (ankle)

What to watch for

Can the Spurs find an offensive groove?

It’s been tough sledding for the Spurs offense lately. They’ve dropped to 18th in the NBA in points scored per game. It’s been a feast or famine for San Antonio, with the majority of the roster struggling to find offensive consistency. Wembanyama has been the only consistent offensive threat, with the rest of the supporting cast struggling to find its footing. It seems like the team can’t get more than two or three players to have an on-night at the same time. The Bucks are a top-10 defense in the NBA. If San Antonio’s offensive struggles continue, it could get ugly in Milwaukee.

Late game execution

The Spurs have blown two straight games in the fourth quarter. A lot of their issues have come on the offensive end, where they’ve scored 15 and 16 points in the fourth quarter of their last two games. Whether it be dead legs, a lack of execution of the offense, or a lack of play-calling creativity, San Antonio has been brutal down the stretch. The Spurs have the talent to stick around with Milwaukee. Whether they can find ways to create advantages down the stretch could decide the game’s fate.

The rotation without Jeremy Sochan and backup center minutes

Sochan will miss another game on Wednesday night due to a back injury. Without Sochan, the Spurs’ rotation becomes very interesting. Expect to see Stephon Castle in the starting lineup and either Zach Collins or Charles Bassey playing a lot of minutes as the backup five. One of them needs to step up so the Spurs aren’t reliant on playing Wembanyama 36+ minutes, wearing him out late in the game. Without Sochan, we will probably see more of Julian Champagnie, who has been playing great basketball lately.