The Milwaukee Bucks initiated a strike shortly before Game 5 with the decision coming shortly before they were scheduled to enter the floor for lay-up lines. Some of the Bucks even did their typical shooting on the floor in the 45-90 minute period before the game.

The Bucks, however, did not anticipate their protest leading to a possible outright cancelation of the playoffs. 

"My understanding is they didn't go into this thinking we want to be the thread that pulls on the season," said Malika Andrews. "They went into this thinking 'We want to play basketball but we also want to effect change here.'"

Adrian Wojnarowski responded that the Bucks "are not one of the teams grappling with the question of whether they want to continue to play."

"The Bucks want to play," said Wojnarowski. "I think their thought was this would be a one-game protest. They would be up 3-2 in the series. I don't think they were going to give the Magic another game and force a Game 7. I think they'd give them a game and it would be 3-2, which didn't happen anyway.

"But what the result was was a domino effect, now that put other teams in position to make the same decision. They did. They didn't play."

The Milwaukee Bucks have not come onto the court ahead of their Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic as they have formalized their decision to sit out to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The players formalized their decision to go on strike for Game 5 pregame.

The Magic were warming up ahead of the game, but also went back to the locker room with a few minute before tipoff. 

Top executives from the NBA have approached the locker room of the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the 2019-20 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA announced today. This marks the first NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for Antetokounmpo, who finished in second place last season.

Antetokounmpo received 75 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters and earned 432 total points.  Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (200 points; 14 first-place votes) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (187 points; six first-place votes) finished in second and third place, respectively.  Gobert was honored as the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year in each of the previous two seasons.

In response to the shooting by police of an unarmed Black man named Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, George Hill talked about whether NBA players should have agreed to participate in the restart in Orlando.

"We can't do anything," said Hill. "First all, we shouldn't have come to this damn place to be honest.

"Coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are. But we're here. It is what it is. We can't do anything from right here. But definitely when it's all settled, some things need to be done."

Many NBA players participated in protests in May and June following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.  

"This world has to change," Hill continued. "Our police department has to change. Us as society has to change. Right now, we're not seeing any of that. Lives are being taken as we speak day in and day out. There's no consequence or accountability for it. That's what has to change."

The Milwaukee Bucks released the following statement about the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin by police officers.

"The Bucks organization is praying for the recovery of Jacob Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer at point blank range in Kenosha, Wisconsin yesterday. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. 

"We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community.

"Our organization will continue to stand for all black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change on behalf of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamilton, Tony Robinson, Joel Acevedo and countless other victims. We will work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist."

Marvin Williams and James Ennis were each fined $15,000 for their role during an altercation in game 3 of the Milwaukee Bucks-Orlando Magic series.

Both players were ejected with 5:39 left in the second quarter, with the Bucks up 19 points.

Ennis and Williams were both hit with double technical fouls, leading to the ejection.

Williams expressed his surprise at both players getting ejected.

"I've played in a lot of basketball games in the NBA, seen a lot of different things, been involved with things obviously throughout the course of my career, but I don't think either of us should've been ejected. I've seen a lot more take place from guys that received a lot less punishment. I don't think he should've been ejected, I certainly don't think I should've been ejected so yeah, I was very surprised, especially with no explanation.

The Los Angeles Clippers are the favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals at +250, according to odds from BetOnline. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are tied for the second best odds at +300. Some bookmakers also have the Lakers and Bucks alone as favorites as the playoffs are more wide open than they have been over the past three seasons when the Golden State Warriors entered as the prohibitive favorites.

The implied odds for the Clippers are 28.8 percent, while the Lakers and Bucks are at 25 percent each meaning there's better than a 75 percent chance one of those three teams win the title.

The Toronto Raptors (+1100), Boston Celtics (+1200) and Houston Rockets (+1500) have the next best odds.

The Bucks are considered heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference at -160 ahead of the Celtics and Raptors at +425.

In the Western Conference, the Clippers (+125) and Lakers (+180) are considered the two teams most likely to reach The Finals.

The Milwaukee Bucks went 3-5 during the seeding games, which disappointed Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"It wasn't frustrating because we were losing. Like, losing is part of basketball, losing is part of the game, but, obviously, what was frustrating because at times I think we wasn't ourselves," Antetokounmpo said following Saturday's practice. "We wasn't moving the ball as much as I wanted to move the ball or as much as [coach Mike Budenholzer] wants us to move the ball. We wasn't defending as hard. As I said, there was times that we were ourselves, where we were the No. 1 team in the league on defense, but there were times that we showed that and there was times that we didn't.

"I think the most frustrating part for me was probably the Memphis game, sitting in the hotel and not being able to be out there to help my teammates compete and win a game and losing a lot of money. But, yeah, this is over. This is in the past," he continued. "Now it's playoff time. I definitely don't believe in the turn-on switch that everybody talks about, like we can turn on the switch and be great, but I do believe that if everybody is on the same page and if everyone is focused and get together and watch clips and be on the same page and we know what our game plan is, I believe we can play way, way better."

The Bucks will play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee is given a 47 percent chance of winning the title, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index but oddsmakers have them at +300 behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been suspended by the NBA for the final seeding game for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Antetokounmpo head bumped Mo Wagner during Tuesday's game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected in the second quarter after receiving a flagrant foul 2 for head-butting Moe Wagner during the Milwaukee Bucks' 126-113 win over the Washington Wizards.

"Terrible action. If I could go back, turn back time and go back to that play, I wouldn't do it. But at the end of the day, we're all human, we all make mistakes. I think I've done a great job all year, in my career at keeping my composure and focus on the game but at the end of the day, we're human and make mistakes," said Antetokounmpo after the game.

It was Antetokounmpo's fourth ejection of his career.

Mike Budenholzer added that the league needed to review several plays that lead up to the ejection before doling out punishment.

"Giannis has been dealing with this for a long time. He's a MVP. People are gonna try him. He normally is phenomenal and today was a slip up. I think it's probably in some ways, it could be one of the best things that happened today and it's a learning moment."