CHICAGO – The Milwaukee Bucks try to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Thursday night as they face the struggling Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday night.

The Bucks just beat the Bulls on their home court, 112-91, on Dec. 23. This will be the fourth and final regular-season game between the teams. Chicago (13-18) has lost three in a row and five of eight. Milwaukee (16-13) has won five of its last eight.

Is Giannis playing?

No. The Bucks’ MVP candidate has been out of action since Dec. 20, first with back spasms (Dec. 21-23) and then with an illness (Dec. 26). He began the day as questionable to play with that illness but was not seen at shootaround in the afternoon. He was ruled out as the team arrived to the United Center.

What is the Bucks record without Giannis?

3-2

Damian Lillard will try to play vs. Bulls

The all-star point guard is also questionable to play with the illness that has been going around the locker room for the better part of December — but he said at shootaround on Saturday morning he’d like to give it a go tonight. The Bucks have gone 2-2 without him in the lineup over the last week.

“Couple days ago, I tried to work out — the night before the Brooklyn game (on Dec. 26) — because I wanted to play against Brooklyn, but I mean, the whole time I was working out, it just kept making me cough, coughing up (expletive),” he said. “I got through the workout, but I couldn’t breathe good.

“So, the last couple days, that’s all I’ve been doing. Just trying to work that stuff out and it’s still been like having me super-winded, but I mean, I guess at some point, you just gotta get out there and burn it out. So, that’s what my plan is, at least.”

Lillard acknowledged that he lost a couple of pounds because he didn’t eat for a few days and stayed hydrated. He also said he sweated profusely as he recovered. It was anything but just sitting home and resting.

“I (expletive) wish it was that,” he said. “I’ll tell you that. I was just telling them earlier, like I’ve never been that sick before in my entire life. Like I’ve never been that sick before in my entire life. I wasn’t throwing up, nothing. I just didn’t eat for two days. I didn’t eat at all. I didn’t get up, nothing. I was down. It was bad.”

Lillard has not played a regular-season game since Dec. 14 when the Bucks beat Atlanta in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas, and it was in that game when he aggravated his right calf muscle. He played on it — and tweaked the muscle again — in the NBA Cup final against Oklahoma City on Dec. 17.

He was then immediately ruled out for the Bucks’ next two regular-season games with a strain in the calf on Dec. 20-21. While he admitted in Las Vegas that anytime he suffers a calf injury there may be some concern (he strained the calf in 2022 in Portland and strained his right Achilles last playoffs) he said this wasn’t that bad and he is recovered from it.

“It wasn’t; it was a mild strain to begin with,” Lillard said. “I did it against Atlanta in Vegas. It happened against Atlanta. I just tweaked it in the championship game to where it was like I’m going to miss; depending on when our next one is and how I feel I’m going to miss that one and the one after that. But we got on that.

“We had been on top of that right away, so even when I tried to get back on the court it was like a little bit tight because I hadn’t been moving, but it was alright. I didn’t have no issues.”

Lillard missed three previous games with a concussion from Nov. 12-16.

More: Bobby Portis starts campaign to get AJ Green into three-point contest

Bucks injury report

• AJ Johnson, out (non-COVID illness)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (non-COVID illness)
• Damian Lillard, questionable (non-COVID illness)
• Andre Jackson Jr., probable (right ankle sprain)
• Khris Middleton, probable (offseason surgery on both ankles)

Bucks probable starters

• Guards: Damian Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr.
• Forwards: Bobby Portis Jr., Khris Middleton
• Center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs. Bulls odds, over/under

Milwaukee is a 3.5-point favorite over Chicago and the over/under for the game is 230.5 points per BetMGM.

What channel are the Bucks on?

The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Steve Novak and Melanie Ricks on the call.

The Horseshoe Faithful have spoken this holiday season, and only 24% of Indianapolis Colts fans believe that the franchise is headed in the right direction:

That is slightly up from 17% following the Colts’ home win last weekend against the lowly Tennessee Titans (3-12), but is well within the dregs of optimism. That being said, the Colts have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, and their inability to beat any of the NFL’s better competition down the stretch this season will likely cost them a wild card playoff spot.

With the Los Angeles Chargers big road win at the New England Patriots on Saturday, the Colts have just a 9% now of making the playoffs.

In reality, their only win against the NFL’s better competition was at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 4. Otherwise, the Colts have beaten up against the league’s weaker competition, and also had a bad loss during Week 5 at Jacksonville.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has already been ruled out for Sunday on the road against the New York Giants, meaning Indianapolis will turn to veteran Joe Flacco again.

Honestly, it feels like yet another lost season for Indianapolis, in an AFC South where the leading Houston Texans (9-7) haven’t been all that impressive for a consecutive season.

The Colts inability to capitalize in one of the league’s weakest divisions yet again is concerning, especially when it’s really been a ‘lost decade’ for the Colts collectively.

The Colts haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, and they haven’t won the AFC South since 2014, having the longest drought of any divisional team to do so.