Guys… I may have jinxed the Milwaukee Bucks.

Last week, I mentioned that the Bucks were still in the process of figuring out how to operate their offense when Giannis Antetokounmpo was off the floor, and that inevitably the wear and tear of the NBA season would catch up to him.That night, the Greek Freak left their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a groin strain that will sideline him for 1-2 weeks, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Bucks have dropped their last four games, including an overtime game dropped to the Philadelphia 76ers last Thursday at Fiserv Forum and another home loss Saturday against Cade Cunningham and the red-hot Detroit Pistons. It’s moved them out of the playoff positions in the East, though it’s way too early to worry about that just yet. They just need to get through this week.

If you’ve watched the Bucks at all this season, you know that the offense is built around Giannis. His usage rate is at 37.1% of the team’s possessions this season, which means that, essentially, if he’s on the floor, he’s touching the ball in some capacity. The player with the next highest minutes for Milwaukee this season is guard Ryan Rollins, who has stepped up to lead the team in points in Giannis’ absence this past week. However, Rollins’ usage rate is only at 25.1%, which shows you just how much more Antetokounmpo is part of the team’s offensive attack compared to anyone else on the roster. When he’s not there, the offense becomes more of a team game, rather than relying on Giannis’ power inside to dominate.

With Giannis likely out through the week, they’ll look to regroup with four games, two at home and two on the road, over the holiday week. Here’s what to look forward to:

Monday, November 24 vs Portland, 7:00 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Wisconsin)

The week starts with a Monday night game against a sub-.500 Portland Trail Blazers team that will very much welcome back the services of Damian Lillard, likely next season. Portland comes into the week losing five of their last six, playing their third straight road game, and in the second game of a back-to-back. With five players out, including former buck Jrue Holiday, this could be the game that the Bucks need to get things going in the right direction once again. 

Wednesday, November 26 at Miami, 6:30 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Wisconsin)

The Bucks then travel to Miami on Wednesday night to take on the Heat in the first of two NBA Cup group stage games this week. The Heat have won their last four games and seven of their last ten, but the Bucks simply do not lose in this tournament. They’ve done so thanks to a big contribution from guard Norman Powell, who is in his first year with the Heat after coming over from the LA Clippers. Powell has led the scoring for 10 of the Blazers’ 17 games so far this season, and Miami will also get an additional boost this week when Greenfield native Tyler Herro makes his season debut, after being sidelined with an ankle injury.

Friday, November 28 at New York, 6:30 p.m. (Prime Video)

The Bucks will spend Black Friday in New York for a nationally televised NBA Cup game on Amazon Prime Video, when they’ll meet the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. A five-game winning streak earlier in the season has pushed New York over the .500 mark to start the year, and they’re currently sitting sixth in the East to start the week. While there’s a chance that Giannis could be back for the holiday weekend game with some added stakes to it, he does have a special attachment to The Garden. In 2017, he hit an infamous step-back game winner that has become his go-to move in crunch time. Hopefully the Bucks won’t need any last-second heroics in this one, with the Greek Freak healthy or not. 

Saturday, November 29 vs Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Wisconsin)

The week closes out with the Bucks back in Milwaukee, this time for a matchup with a struggling Brooklyn Nets team. The Nets come into the week at 3-13 so far this year, but two of those wins were in the last week, signalling that they may be starting to finally put the pieces together. The Nets have a young roster, but they’re built around a bona fide scorer in forward Michael Porter Jr., whose been the bright spot of their season so far. Both teams will be on the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday, with both travelling from New York to Milwaukee overnight. If there’s ever a time to need the advantage of Fiserv Forum, Saturday night will be the night.