SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
On the floor, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence has been unmistakable for the Bucks and their fans. The Bucks have lacked their stabilizer, their force, their closer. Against that backdrop, Milwaukee shared Giannis back on the practice floor, a subtle sign that an injury return for Antetokounmpo may be drawing closer.
It was not a clearance announcement. It was a reminder of who has been missing. Giannis has been sidelined since Dec. 3 after suffering a right calf strain in a non-contact injury against the Detroit Pistons. Calf injuries require patience. Giannis is expected to miss action for two to four weeks, and the Bucks have stayed cautious throughout. That approach remains unchanged. The latest injury report still lists him as OUT. Before the injury, Giannis was dominant. In 17 games for the Bucks, he averaged 28.9 points while shooting 63.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three. He added 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists in just 29.1 minutes per night. The efficiency was striking.
The control was constant. The offense bent around him. Without him, the margins tightened. Milwaukee sits at No. 11 in the East. They have dropped four of six since Giannis went down. Spacing shrank. Defensive pressure faded. Late-game confidence wavered when possessions mattered most. The practice post does not solve those issues. It points forward. Especially with Rollins focused on winning for the Bucks. Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins is having a career year for the team. Rollins, 23, is averaging 17 points and 5.9 assists per game so far this season for the Bucks, which comes as a massive surprise considering he only averaged 6.2 points per game last season. Rollins is taking advantage of the point guard spot on the team being vacated by Damian Lillard, who tore his Achilles and was subsequently waived by the team this summer.
The Green Bay Packers.
The Packers allowed the Bears to pull off the mother of all comebacks, as Chicago rallied from 10 points down in the final five minutes of regulation, and then won on a long TD pass in overtime, 22-16, Saturday night at Soldier Field. Just when the Packers had first place in the division within their grasp, it slipped out of Doubs’ hands on an onside kick with less than two minutes remaining. The Bears opted to send the game to overtime instead of going for the win, but they earned that victory in overtime instead with the deep touchdown pass from Williams to Moore after Green Bay botched a fourth-down snap in Bears territory. Caleb Williams hit DJ Moore with a 46-yard touchdown pass in overtime, and the Chicago Bears stunned the Green Bay Packers 22-16 on Saturday night to strengthen their hold on first place in the NFC North. The Bears overcame a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, thanks in large part to recovering an onside kick just after the two-minute warning.
The Packers, who got the ball first in overtime, were driving in Bears’ territory, but a mishandled snap on fourth-and-1 gave the Bears their chance. Williams drove Chicago 64 yards in four plays, with the finisher a rainbow to Moore over Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon in the end zone. Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis led three scoring drives in relief of Jordan Love, who left the game in the second quarter with a concussion. Willis rushed for 44 yards and threw what looked to be the winning touchdown pass in the third quarter, a 33-yard strike to wide receiver Romeo Doubs. Love suffered his first documented concussion during his six-year NFL career and missed most of the Packers’ final first-half drive and the entire second half. Willis played well in his place for the most part, and Love now has until next Saturday night to clear concussion protocol in order to face the Ravens at Lambeau Field. Near the end of the game, with five minutes left and a ten-point lead, the Packer offense and the defense seemingly or constructively packed up and went into the showers. They gave up, and the Bears scored at will and tossed Packer players around like Christmas toy soldiers. It was so bad and embarrassing that it would be better if the betting and gambling forces influencing games could be held responsible. What is everyone likely to say as this season ends?
The Green Bay Packers could have been contenders, as murmured in the back of that cab by Marlon Brando in that famous movie.
