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Bucks' Eric Bledsoe, Pat Connaughton to miss NBA restart game vs. Celtics
The Milwaukee Bucks will be without guard Eric Bledsoe when the NBA resumption gets underway. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bucks' Eric Bledsoe, Pat Connaughton to miss NBA restart game vs. Celtics

The Milwaukee Bucks will be without guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton when the club begins its NBA restart on Friday with a game against the Boston Celtics.

Bledsoe and Connaughton both tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, and neither is fully fit for regular-season action, per Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer.

According to ESPN's Eric Woodyard, Budenholzer informed the media he's not comfortable playing either since they've undergone minimum restart preparations due to quarantine protocols:

"It's a little bit of conditioning, a little bit of just rhythm and everything. Everybody else is getting ready to play in a live game and have had 10 to 12 to 14 days of probably 5-on-5 every other day and individual work and all that, so I think giving Bled and Pat a couple of 5-on-5 sessions at a minimum and getting some 3-on-3 in other situations or days. They just need to play, so I think that's a big hurdle, and with playing will come both conditioning and their rhythm, so we're going to make sure they get some of that before we put them in an NBA game."

Neither Bledsoe nor Connaughton appeared in any of Milwaukee's scrimmages held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex bubble site.

Bledsoe averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.4 AST, and 4.6 REB across 56 contests until the NBA halted the season on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Connaughton tallied 5.1 PPG, 4.2 REB, and 1.6 AST in 61 appearances. 

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