The Milwaukee Bucks’ night went from frustrating to concerning in a hurry on Friday.
Milwaukee lost to the Denver Nuggets 102-100, marking the team’s second straight loss. However, the final score quickly became secondary after Giannis Antetokounmpo exited late with an injury. Even worse, his own postgame outlook wasn’t exactly encouraging.
Antetokounmpo left the game in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter after appearing to injure his right calf. He briefly returned to the bench but never re-entered the contest, finishing the night with 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes.
The loss itself was already a tough pill to swallow for Milwaukee. Denver was missing several key players, including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, yet the Bucks still came up short.
After the game, head coach Doc Rivers revealed that Antetokounmpo had been dealing with the injury for much of the second half and had to be convinced to sit.
“I thought he was favoring it for most of the second half personally,” Rivers said, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I asked our team five different times. I didn’t like what my eyes were seeing. Giannis was defiant about staying in.”
Rivers said the decision to pull his star ultimately came without debate.
“On that one play, you could see him trying to run down the floor,” Rivers added. “To me, I had had enough. I didn’t ask. I just took him out. He actually wanted to go back in, that was a no for me.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Speaks Out on His Injury
While the Bucks did not provide an official diagnosis Friday night, Antetokounmpo himself sounded pessimistic about what comes next.
According to Nehm, the two-time MVP told reporters he expects an MRI on Saturday to confirm what he believes is a calf or soleus strain, one that could sideline him for four to six weeks.
If that timeline holds, it would be a significant blow for Milwaukee as it looks to steady itself after back-to-back losses. For now, Antetokounmpo’s status remains uncertain, including for Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum.
All eyes now turn to Saturday’s MRI, and whether Antetokounmpo’s prediction becomes reality.
