Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was forced to miss Game 1 due to a back issue.
The All-Star forward was injured late in the first quarter and will not play in Game 1.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo drove to the basket and landed awkwardly.
And just like that, the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks’ championship hopes were jeopardized.
After being fouled in the first quarter, Antetokounmpo landed hard on his backside and departed the Bucks’ Eastern Conference playoff opener early in the second quarter on Sunday. Milwaukee was defeated by the Miami Heat 130-117.
“There was an X-ray that was clear here,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “We’ll monitor him and see how he does, see how he wakes up, how he feels the rest of tonight and tomorrow.”
The Bucks will hope that the two-time MVP is feeling better before Game 2 of the series on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
“We have to wait and see what the doctors say, most importantly what Giannis says,” stated Budenholzer. “Certainly we’ve been blessed with him being resilient and quick to heal, but you’ve just got to take it day by day, see how he’s doing and see how he feels.”
Antetokounmpo went to the locker room after being ejected from the game. He reappeared with 9:56 remaining in the second quarter but left with 8:33 remaining in the half and did not return.
“He didn’t seem at ease or confident,” Budenholzer added. “It felt like the right thing (to keep him out).”
In 11 minutes, Antetokounmpo scored six points and three rebounds.
The Heat also have injury concerns. Tyler Herro of Miami broke his right hand late in the second quarter, putting his postseason status in doubt.
The Bucks have suffered a critical injury early in their postseason run for the second consecutive season.
All-Star on three occasions Last season, Khris Middleton damaged the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Game 2 of the Bucks’ opening-round series against the Chicago Bulls, and he missed the Bucks’ final ten postseason games. In the East semifinals, the Bucks were defeated by the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.
Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee two years ago and missed the final two games of the Eastern Conference finals. After returning from that injury, he was voted the NBA Finals MVP after scoring 50 points in the Bucks’ title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Phoenix Suns, giving them their first championship in a half-century.
The Bucks are hopeful Antetokounmpo can demonstrate his toughness once more.
“That’s our guy,” Middleton pointed out. “We hope he’ll be okay; he’ll be back out there with us Wednesday, but we just have to focus on who’s out there at the same time.” They also had a player fall down, but they continued to compete and play effectively. We attempted to maintain the same frame of mind. It stinks when our teammates get hurt or are unable to return, but we still have a job to complete out there.”
