In the injury report, the Milwaukee Bucks revealed that forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo is ruled out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals due to the league's health and safety protocols.
Bucks' Thanasis Antetokounmpo has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. Suns.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 17, 2021
The news comes as a shock, since Antetokounmpo has been available in every game to this point. The brother of Finals superstar Giannis, Thanasis has played a minor role off the bench for the Bucks during their playoff run. He has only appeared in one Finals game so far, playing just under two minutes in the Bucks' Game 4 blowout victory.
Milwaukee is preparing for a pivotal Game 5 matchup against the Phoenix Suns with the series tied at two games apiece. The home team has won every game of this series thus far, with Game 5 shifting back to Phoenix before heading back to Milwaukee for Game 6.
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Entering the league's health and safety protocols does not necessarily mean Thanasis has contracted the coronavirus – it could also mean that he came within close contact of someone who tested positive for the virus.
It's worth monitoring the situation moving forward, so keep it locked in with NBA.com as more updates become available.
Game 5 is set to take place at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17.
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