Why Giannis Antetokounmpo is not playing vs Pistons. Bucks give return timeline

Giannis Antetokounmpo harm update: The Milwaukee Bucks testament be without the hellene lusus naturae against the Pistons on sat. The 31-year-old strained his right calf in the opening minutes of a 113-109 home victory over Detroit earlier this week. The injury came at a time when it was being reported that Giannis is looking at his future options, sparking trade talks.

On Wednesday, Giannis assisted on AJ Green’s layup less than three minutes into the game when he headed back up the court and slipped in the painted area. He clutched his leg and had to be taken off the field.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said that Giannis is expected to miss about a month. ESPN had earlier reported that the two-time NBA MVP was set to miss at least 2-4 weeks. Rivers suggested Friday that it would likely be on the higher end of that timeline.

“Let’s hope he’s back sooner, but I’m going to guess it’s more in the four-week range,” Rivers said before the Bucks’ 116-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rivers emphasized the importance of caution with calf issues to avoid the risk of a player getting hurt more severely.

“And so that may take longer than we want,” Rivers said. “That even may make Giannis frustrated over it. But we’ve just got to try to get that right.”

Rivers said Antetokounmpo won’t travel with the Bucks for their Saturday night game.

“Our thing is, especially because this just happened, with the blood flow, the flights and all that stuff, keep him home,” Rivers said.

The Bucks had another setback Friday when guard AJ Green, who is shooting nearly 50% from 3-point range, bruised his left shoulder in the second quarter. Rivers said Green would be undergoing an MRI.

Antetokounmpo entered Friday ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring (28.9), ninth in rebounding (10.1) and 19th in assists (6.1).

The Bucks are 1-6 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. They did rally from an 18-point deficit Wednesday against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons with Antetokounmpo only playing the first three minutes.

Friday's game exemplified the Bucks' issues in trying to win without Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee committed 10 first-half turnovers that led to 17 Philadelphia points as the Bucks fell behind by as many as 26 points in the second quarter.

“You can see early on our guards were trying to force the action, and that’s easy to guard," Rivers said after the game. "It really is. That’s a lesson.”

(With AP inputs)

Yash Bajaj is a part of the US team at Hindustan Times. With over four years of experience covering the US, he has developed passion for American football, NBA and other non-cricket sports. In free time, you will find Yash toying with AI tools, watching movies and discussing conspiracy theories. Read Less ...Read More

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