The Milwaukee Bucks received some incredible news ahead of their Sunday clash with the San Antonio Spurs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been cleared to play and will start Sunday afternoon against the Spurs, the Bucks announced. Antetokounmpo missed the team's victory in Chicago on Friday due to a sprained right ankle he suffered in the previous contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. 

The Greek Freak participated in a light practice Saturday and also engaged in a full-speed individual workout. Jabari Parker started in Antetokounmpo's absence, with Shabazz Muhammad also getting more more minutes off the bench.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty said he didn't expect his star player to miss too much time with the injury.

“In all honesty, I can’t give you an honest answer and say this is exactly when he’s coming back, but I believe it will be sooner rather than later," Prunty told Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

His hasty return to the lineup comes at a crucial time for the Bucks, who are currently holding down the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee has a great opportunity to improve its standing over the final few weeks of the season, as only five games separate them from the third seed in the conference (currently held by the Cleveland Cavaliers) with 10 contests remaining. Only four of their final 10 games are against teams currently holding down playoff spots, and two of those tilts are with the injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. If the playoffs started today, Milwaukee would square off with the Toronto Raptors for the second consecutive year in the opening round.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 points, 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks through 67 games. He's unquestionably the team's best player, and is even in the MVP conversation along with James Harden, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. 

The Bucks have taken their last two meetings with the Spurs, marking the first time since 2008 that they’ve beaten San Antonio in consecutive games. A victory Sunday would mark Milwaukee’s first series sweep of San Antonio since the 2008-09 campaign.

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