MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points in his return to the starting lineup, helping the Milwaukee Bucks top the Brooklyn Nets 115-108 on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo missed two games with what the team described as tendinopathy in his hamstring. Tendinopathy is pain that generally results from overuse.
He was 9-of-19 from the field and had nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 35 minutes.
“You try to control what you can control,” Antetokounmpo said. “Things like this are going to pop up now and then. Kind of unexpected, but at the end of the day, these are the cards you’ve been dealt, and you just have to keep on figuring it out, keep on playing through pain, playing through adversity.”
The Bucks were without Khris Middleton, who got the night off after playing 33 minutes in a 122-119 loss at Boston, as the Bucks continue to manage his workload in his recovery from a sprained left ankle.
Middleton’s ankle sprain had caused him to miss 16 straight games before returning Sunday in a 140-129 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
“He’s been out all these games, and he’s playing great,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before Thursday’s game. “We just want to keep him where he’s at.”
The Bucks haven’t had their top three players — Antetokounmpo, Middleton and seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard — all available for the same game since a Feb. 3 victory at Dallas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
