MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo left the team’s 128-99 win over the Miami Heat with a knee injury in the first quarter. Though Antetokounmpo only played six minutes, the Bucks drove to a 13th straight win in what is now the longest winning streak in the league this season.
A team spokesman said Antetokounmpo “hit his knees” with a Heat player, which Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed during his post-game press conference.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” said Budenholzer. “Just rate it and take it day by day.”
Budenholzer did not provide any information about possible tests.
With just over a minute left in the first quarter, Antetokounmpo briefly placed the right block, then threw the ball to Jevon Carter and immediately signaled the bench. He started running off the ground as the game went on, and the Bucks called a timeout to get him out of the game. Antetokounmpo hobbled straight to the dressing room and didn’t return.
Antetokounmpo already seemed uneasy when he came back into the game with 1:43 left, grabbing his knee on possession before checking out. However, it is unclear exactly when the injury happened.
“He basically asked on a date,” Budenholzer said. “Luckily we had the ball and I don’t think we know exactly when he went down. He asked for the time-out so we had to take the time-out… I’m pretty sure it was on a drive either or on was a screen where he got on his knees with someone and just couldn’t come back.
At this point it’s still too early to know if Antetokounmpo will be sidelined and for how long. The Bucks’ next game is Sunday afternoon when they host the Phoenix Suns in a nationally televised rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals.
In mid-January, Antetokounmpo missed five consecutive games with knee pain despite it being a left knee issue, while this latest incident was related to his right knee.
Antetokounmpo wasn’t even originally scheduled to play against the Heat, having sprained his wrist in the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Due to the wrist injury, Antetokounmpo sat out the skills challenge on All-Star Saturday night and only played 20 seconds in Sunday’s All-Star game. He also made a trip to New York for additional wrist tests, which turned out to be positive.
After completing his pre-game warm-up on Friday, he was cleared to play. However, Budenholzer conceded during his pre-match press conference that Antetokounmpo “certainly won’t be 100 per cent”. This is now based on two diseases.