MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo left the workforce’s loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first-round playoff collection with a decrease again contusion. He suffered no structural injury, and the Bucks have upgraded the two-time MVP to questionable for Wednesday evening’s Game 2. Antetokounmpo was initially listed as uncertain on Tuesday evening.
In the center of the primary quarter, Antetokounmpo took a swing go from Joe Ingles and drove arduous to the basket. As he took off for the rim from simply exterior the cost circle, Kevin Love slid beneath in an try and take a cost. Antetokounmpo had his legs taken out within the course of and crashed arduous to the ground on his decrease again.
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The play was dominated a blocking foul on Love, and Antetokounmpo remained within the sport to shoot his free throws, then continued taking part in for a couple of extra minutes earlier than testing on the finish of his regular first quarter stint. Upon exiting the sport, he went straight to the locker room, however was again out on the bench for the beginning of the second quarter.
With 9:56 remaining within the second quarter, Antetokounmpo checked again into the sport and went by a collection of twists and jumps close to mid-court to attempt to loosen up his again. He solely lasted a bit over a minute, nonetheless, and subbed again out with 8:33 on the clock. Moving gingerly, he once more went proper down the tunnel to the locker room and was formally dominated out a short while later.
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The Bucks had been trailing by eight when Antetokounmpo left the sport and by no means really recovered. A run within the third quarter briefly reduce the deficit to a few, however they trailed by double digits for big parts of the second half and finally misplaced by 13.
“That’s our man, we hope he is gonna be properly and again on the market with us Wednesday,” Khris Middleton mentioned. “But we simply gotta deal with who’s on the market on the similar time. They had a man go down additionally they usually continued to compete and play properly. Same mindset we tried to have. Sucks that our man goes down or cannot return, however we nonetheless acquired a job to do on the market.”
Milwaukee has loads of expertise taking part in with out Antetokounmpo, each this season when he missed 19 video games and within the 2021 playoffs when he suffered a hyperextended knee within the Eastern Conference finals. It goes with out saying, although, that they would like to have their two-time MVP on the ground.
“We don’t desire him to be harm, but it surely’s nonetheless subsequent man up mentality,” Jrue Holiday mentioned. “We have sufficient expertise on this workforce to cowl for him till he comes again or probably comes again. Again, I simply do not need to see him harm as a result of I do know what it appears like, particularly Game 1 of the playoffs.”
During the common season, Antetokounmpo averaged 31.1 factors, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per sport. He was the one participant within the league to place up not less than 30 factors, 10 rebounds and 5 assists an evening, and the Bucks had been 47-16 when he performed in comparison with 11-8 when he sat.
