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Bucks, Clippers rest most of their starters after OT games

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Paul George are among those inactive on Friday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton will miss Friday’s game against LA.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and three other usual Milwaukee Bucks starters won’t be available for their Friday night game with the LA Clippers.

Both the Bucks and Clippers played overtime games Thursday night, with the Bucks winning 120-119 at Brooklyn and the Clippers losing 135-130 at Chicago. Four of the Clippers’ starters from Thursday’s game also have been ruled out for Friday’s game.

The Bucks’ injury report indicates Antetokounmpo (sore right knee), Jrue Holiday (sprained left ankle), Khris Middleton (sore left wrist) and Brook Lopez won’t play. The Bucks cited return to competition reconditioning as the reason for Lopez’s unavailability, as the 7-footer returned March 14 after missing most of the season with a back injury.

This will be the third game in the last seven that Antetokounmpo has missed, though he played in all three games of the Bucks’ recent road swing. The two-time MVP had 44 points and 14 rebounds at Brooklyn and overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks’ all-time leading scorer.

Clippers starters from Thursday who will be unavailable Friday include Paul George (right elbow), Nicolas Batum (sore left ankle), Marcus Morris Sr. (sore left knee) and Reggie Jackson (rest). George just returned to action Tuesday as he recovered from a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

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