Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Saturday's game against the Utah Jazz.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer announced before tipoff the two-time NBA MVP is dealing with rest with soreness in his left knee.

While Antetokounmpo has been durable for much of his career and appeared in at least 61 games in each of his first nine seasons, he missed time during EuroBasket in September with knee discomfort and was sidelined with knee soreness in November.

Any health concerns for Antetokounmpo will be amplified, given his overall importance to the Bucks' championship hopes.

The six-time All-Star is arguably the best player in the league and someone who can take over games on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. His ability to overpower defenders on his way to the rim while shutting down the opponent's best players is unmatched in today's game, and much of what Milwaukee does on the court runs through him.

He is averaging 30.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals in 24 games in 2022-23.

The Bucks can't realistically hope to replicate his impact if he is sidelined, but they can turn to the combination of Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka for more playing time in the frontcourt as they attempt to tread water without their biggest star.

The Golden State Warriors are an experienced team used to overcoming adversity, so seeing the reigning NBA champions lose their composure isn't a typical occurrence.

However, that's exactly what happened to the Warriors in Tuesday's 128-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Golden State grew frustrated with the referees early in the game and never recovered, trailing by as many as 26 in the blowout.

The whistles started flying early and often, as the Warriors were called for three technical fouls in the first quarter alone. Golden State was unhappy with the free throw disparity, as none of its players made it to the line until late in the second quarter.

The Warriors shot just 19 free throws on the night, while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 17 by himself on his way to a game-high 30 points.

Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry was among those to receive a technical foul when he surprisingly let his anger get the better of him after a referee didn't call what he thought was an obvious foul on a three-pointer. Golden State finished with five techs, while three were called on Milwaukee.

Fans online called out the Warriors for letting the referees throw them off their game in what was supposed to be an exciting matchup against an Eastern Conference powerhouse:

At 14-14, Golden State has struggled to find consistency this season. Perhaps the slow start is just a championship hangover, but at this point, it's starting to become concerning.

The Warriors have the expectations of contending for a title once again, but there are multiple issues they need to fix if they want to achieve their goal.

Golden State will look to bounce back in the second matchup of its six-game road trip on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers (14-14).

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a fan removed during his team's 128-111 road loss against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday evening.

Green explained to reporters what happened after the game.

ESPN's Kendra Andrews provided more context on the interaction between the fan and Green prior to the ejection, which occurred while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot free throws.

The TNT broadcast showed Green emphatically going to the officials and pointing to the fan in question. Security was then seen speaking with the fan, who then left the seat.

Green previously had an interaction with a fan at a Nov. 29 road game against the Dallas Mavericks, and it led to a $25,000 fine.

The fan, Alykhan Rehmatullah, told Green on Twitter that he would match $25,000 to charity.

"You don't see that happen," Green told Andrews about the match, which he also called "a cool gesture."

Green, a four-time All-Star and NBA champion, has been in the NBA for 11 seasons.

The Milwaukee Bucks remain in discussion to acquire Jae Crowder from the Phoenix Suns, with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting one potential three-way trade involving the Houston Rockets.

"Multiple league sources said the Suns recently engaged in three-team talks that would have sent Crowder to Milwaukee, four Bucks second-round draft picks along with players to Houston, and Eric Gordon and/or Kenyon Martin Jr. to Phoenix," Charania reported.

The Rockets have held up the trade because they are seeking at least a first-round pick for either Gordon or Martin. Gordon has also generated interest in other trades, while Houston doesn't want to deal Martin unless it gets a "very good first-rounder" in return.

Martin, a second-round pick in 2020, has emerged as a valuable part of the Rockets rotation while averaging 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The 21-year-old is under contract through 2023-24 and could be a key part of the team's young core alongside Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and others.

Gordon could be more expendable as a 33-year-old with a nonguaranteed contract worth $20.9 million next season. The veteran is averaging 12.2 points per game, which would be a career low, although his experience could make him a useful contributor in the right location.

The Suns could certainly use the scoring depth after dealing with significant injuries this season. The 16-11 squad has its sights on a title and would benefit from adding a quality outside scorer with 55 career playoff games on his resume.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has been engaging in discussions about Crowder since the start of the regular season, per Charania.

Crowder has not appeared in a game for Phoenix this season after a mutual agreement to find a deal, but the 32-year-old's two-way ability could provide a boost to the Bucks' rotation. The forward averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 67 starts for the Suns last year.

There is still plenty of interest in Crowder around the league. Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus listed the Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors as being among his suitors. The Dallas Mavericks have also discussed a potential deal, per Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

It was less than a year ago that the New York Knicks acquired forward Cam Reddish in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, but the team has reportedly been fielding offers to ship him away for quite some time.

"[S]everal teams have expressed interest in trading for Reddish since the Knicks acquired him in January 2022," SNY's Ian Begley wrote. "The Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams who reached out to New York in that span."

Reddish was removed from the Knicks rotation this week and hasn't played since last Saturday's 21-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. New York has won back-to-back games since then and has a 12-13 record.

On Wednesday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported that the Knicks were working with Reddish and his representatives to secure a deal for him. However, the 23-year-old later said that he wasn't trying to force his way off the team.

"I haven't requested any trades," he said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "I have not. Y'all seem to know more than me, for real. I don't know what y'all talking about, but I haven't requested no trade, nothing like that."

Reddish has failed to make an impact since he entered the league as the No. 10 overall pick in 2019. The Duke product has a career average of 10.2 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. Still, he is young and he has the potential to develop into a contributor in the right situation.

The Bucks are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they could use some extra firepower to compete against the defending conference-champion Boston Celtics. The Heat have been bitten by the injury bug early in the season and lack depth.

Begley noted that the Lakers and Knicks had engaged in discussions recently about a potential trade that would've required a third team to complete. Los Angeles has an open roster spot after waiving Matt Ryan and desperately needs to add shooting.

For now, Reddish will continue to ride the bench when the Knicks return to action on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets (7-18).

Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton could make his season debut as soon as Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, as Shams Charania reported on The Pat McAfee Show:

Middleton has been recovering from offseason wrist surgery.

The Bucks were originally hoping the three-time All-Star would return at some point in November, as Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported prior to the season opener. It's now clear he won't return until at least Dec. 2, but he is "close" to a return, per Charania.

Middleton hasn't played for the Bucks since suffering an MCL sprain in the first round of last year's playoffs, missing the team's final 10 postseason games. Milwaukee was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Bucks have fared well without him this season, going 14-5 to sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. Grayson Allen has taken on a bigger role on the wing, while Jevon Carter has played well at point guard to allow the team to go with a smaller lineup.

Getting Middleton back would still be a significant boost for Milwaukee, as he's one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

The guard finished last season averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range. The team was 5.2 points per 100 possessions better with Middleton on the court rather than off it, per Basketball Reference.

Middleton was also a key part of the Bucks winning the 2021 NBA title, averaging 23.6 points per game during the playoff run.

If Middleton can return soon and stay healthy, Milwaukee will be a dangerous team for the remainder of 2022-23.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP and an NBA champion, but the Milwaukee Bucks star still thinks the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is the preeminent name in the league.

Asked by teammate Serge Ibaka whether he's the face of the NBA, Antetokounmpo said he believes he's one of the faces but that he's not the face.

"LeBron's still playing," he said (6:59 of the video below) on Ibaka's show How Hungry Are You?

Antetokounmpo also listed the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić, Dallas Mavericks' Luka Dončić and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid as worthy competition based on their profiles.

To Giannis' point, James arguably remains in a class by himself into his 20th season.

Through the first half of the 2021-22 season, James had the highest-selling jersey in the league and stayed there through the second half of the campaign. That was despite the Lakers losing 49 games and missing the playoffs.

Los Angeles also got the second-most national television games when the NBA rolled out its 2022-23 schedule, which is owed partially to James' star power.

Sooner or later, LeBron will walk away from basketball. When that happens, Antetokounmpo is a natural candidate to succeed him as the NBA's biggest headliner.

The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly "called numerous teams about Grayson Allen’s trade prospects," according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Milwaukee has shown interest in Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder, potentially setting up a swap between the two teams, but Phoenix reportedly still has its eyes on other impact players.

Allen has started 10 games for the 10-1 Bucks, averaging 10.8 points and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range.

With the Bucks currently ranking just 18th in three-point shooting at 35.2 percent, Allen's ability to stretch the floor is extremely valuable.

The former Duke star set a career high with 11.1 points per game last season in his first year with Milwaukee, starting 61 of the 66 games he played. The 6'4" guard shot 40.9 percent from beyond the arc last year and has a 39.5 percent career mark from three.

Even if the Bucks want to move on from Allen, it's clear he could have value for a contender thanks to his outside scoring ability.

After going to the playoffs with the Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz during his short career, Allen is also battle-tested in big games.

Phoenix could use the scoring depth with Crowder not with the team and Cameron Johnson out with a knee injury. He would likely join Landry Shamet and Josh Okogie off the bench behind Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the backcourt.

Meanwhile, there are no shortage of teams that could use an added shooter as Milwaukee looks for upgrades in other areas.