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Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s a new year but support for the Bucks remains the same, such as Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo being a fan favorite for the NBA all-star game. The league released its first round of voting results for the Feb. 16 game in San Francisco and Antetokounmpo is the No. 1 vote-getter of any NBA player with over 1.7 million fan votes. Antetokounmpo has made eight consecutive all-star games, which is a Bucks franchise record, and was the 2021 game’s MVP. Antetokounmpo’s MVP foil, Denver’s Nikola Jokić, is the next-closest player with 1.4 million votes. The all-star game format has changed this season, as the all-stars will be broken up into three teams. They, along with a team comprised of Rising Stars, will compete in a mini-tournament to win the weekend.
Buck point guard Damian Lillard is the reigning all-star game MVP after being voted in as a starter last season alongside Antetokounmpo. Lillard is currently third among Eastern Conference guards with just over 700,00 votes. Lillard is also the reigning three-point contest champion. Participants in the skills competitions are typically announced in early February. The Milwaukee Bucks will launch an All-Star “Bucks In Ink” temporary tattoo parlor at home games beginning tomorrow, Jan. 4, through Jan. 19. The parlor, which will be set up at Section 218 and open through halftime of each game, will give fans the chance to choose from a unique selection of temporary tattoos to support the Bucks’ 2025 NBA All-Star Game candidates.
Voting for the 2025 All-Star Game will conclude on Jan. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET and the starters for the game will be revealed on Jan. 23 during TNT’s NBA Tip-Off before a doubleheader featuring the Bucks vs. the Miami Heat and the Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers lost 24-22 to the Chicago Bears, thus ensuring Green Bay (11-6) will finish No. 7 behind Washington. This brings them to a Wild Card round matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Green Bay will visit Philadelphia to start the playoffs next week, where the Packers will need to play better than they did today against the Bears. The Packers lost two of their most important players, quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson, to injuries during the game. Love only hit his funny bone and appears to be OK, but Watson was carted off with a knee injury.
While the highs of the Packers this year would have some fans believing in Jordan Love and the team repeating the magical run they almost pulled off in the last postseason, it may be just as difficult if not more so this year. Coming into the playoffs as a No. 7 seed all but ensures the odds are stacked against you. There won’t be a home game throughout the entire postseason, and winning three straight road games before the Super Bowl is extremely challenging but not impossible. The Packers finish their regular season 11-6 and have proven they are Super Bowl material.