The Milwaukee Bucks had a bad day on Sunday. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference started off on the wrong foot, losing 130-117 to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.
It was a dejected effort from the team, which appeared emotionally drained after their NBA superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was injured.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest injury status
Antetokounmpo drove to the basket off a pass from Joe Ingles about halfway through the first quarter. Kevin Love slid underneath him as he rose, attempting to draw a charge. Antetokounmpo’s legs were taken out in the process, resulting in a hard fall to the floor.
The Greek Freak would stay in the game to shoot free throws and complete his regular-season playing time. He entered the game early in the second quarter but only lasted a minute before being subbed out and heading to the locker room.
Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (lower back contusion) will not return to Game 1 of Bucks-Heat, per @ShamsCharania.
Giannis sustained the injury on this collision with Kevin Love in the 1st quarter 🤕pic.twitter.com/ep8RFTvVfD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 16, 2023
Fortunately for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, no serious injuries occurred.
Shams Charania provided the first: “There is optimism surrounding Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) availability for Game 2 vs. Miami on Wednesday, sources say.”
There is optimism surrounding Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) availability for Game 2 vs. Miami on Wednesday, sources say. From Run It Back on @FanDuelTV: pic.twitter.com/E6GpFdxjaC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2023
Later in the day, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told The Athletic’s Eric Nehm that Giannis’ MRI came back “clean.”
Budenholzer stated that the two-time MVP is still “sore” and will be closely monitored in the days leading up to Game 2. The Bucks coach also admitted that the multiple-day break between Games 1 and 2 was “probably fortunate.”
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is able to return for Game 2, it would be a huge boost for the Bucks, and that appears to be the case, at least according to these reports. Of course, nothing is finalized just yet.
If Giannis is limited in this series, the Bucks will have to find another way to win. Even if he does play in Game 2, there is a chance he will not be at 100%.
While the Bucks would prefer to have Antetokounmpo in the lineup, they are not going to give up if he is unable to play. This is a deep, talented, championship-experienced roster that knows how to win even without its star.
Milwaukee must recover quickly to avoid falling into a big hole when the series shifts to Miami. They are heavy favorites in this series, as well as a top NBA title contender, but they are already facing some early adversity.
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