Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said there is no timetable for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to return from the calf injury that he suffered on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics.
Doc Rivers says there is no timeline for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Does he expect him to be ready for the start of the playoffs?
"Yeah, I'm hoping. I don't know, I'm just hoping."
— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) April 10, 2024
Antetokounmpo suffered a non-contact injury on Tuesday night and ended up going back to the locker room. He did not return to the game and has subsequently been ruled out for Milwaukee’s matchup with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo went back to the locker room after suffering a leg injury 😬pic.twitter.com/4G1UplZ3xZ
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) April 10, 2024
On the bright side for the Bucks, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Antetokounmpo’s Achilles tendon is fully intact. Had the Bucks star ruptured his Achilles, he would likely have missed significant time.
After an MRI, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s left Achilles tendon is fully intact and his return to play will come with how quickly his left calf strain heals, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 10, 2024
The Bucks currently hold the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have a tough schedule to end the regular season. The team faces the Magic (the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference) twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder (the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference) to close out the campaign.
This is significant since Milwaukee holds just a one-game lead over the New York Knicks (the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference) with three games to play. New York and Orlando (two games back of Milwaukee) could leap ahead of the Bucks in the standings depending upon the results of the final three games.
It’s unfortunate that Antetokounmpo was injured at this point in the season, as it certainly puts Milwaukee’s championship hopes in a precarious position. This season, the two-time MVP is averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from beyond the arc.
The Bucks will likely lean more on Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis until Antetokounmpo can return to action.
The first round of the playoffs begins on April 20, so Antetokounmpo will have less than two weeks to get ready for a potential Game 1.
It’s worth noting that the Bucks star was injured in the first round of the playoffs last season, missing Games 2 and 3 against the Miami Heat, and the Bucks ended up losing the series as the No. 1 seed in the East.
Rivers and the Bucks are hoping to avoid a similar outcome if they are without their star players to begin this postseason.
