The Milwaukee Bucks saw their chances of contending for an NBA Championship in this year’s playoffs flash before their eyes on Tuesday night. In the third quarter of their game against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics, their star player went down to the ground.
After inbounding the ball and starting up the court, Giannis Antetokounmpo went to the ground, immediately grabbing at his calf. A non-contact injury to that area of the leg will leave people assuming the worst; that Antetokounmpo injured his Achilles.
Antetokounmpo was on the ground for a few moments before being helped to the bench, eventually making his way into the locker room. The one encouraging sign was that he was able to make it back there on his own, as he limped his way off the court.
But, during the post-game press conference, head coach Doc Rivers admitted that the team’s concern level about the injury is high. Without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, you can remove them from the ranks of contenders in the NBA.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
While it sounds like the Greek Freak is going to miss some time, he may have avoided a catastrophic injury. According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Antetokounmpo is dealing with strictly a left calf strain. His left Achilles is fully intact and his return to play will be based on how fast his heel can recover.
That is about as good of news as the Bucks could have received this morning. His Achilles being intact means no surgery will occur and he will be able to return to the court much sooner than in the worst-case scenario.
Some people were assuming it could be an Achilles based on how the injury occurred, with it being non-contact. Also, Antetokounmpo had missed a few games and been listed on the injury report a few weeks ago because of issues with his Achilles.
While the injury comes at an inopportune time, the Bucks have to feel relieved that Antetokounmpo avoided a season-ending injury. However, they will have their work cut out for them to survive and advance for as long as he isn’t in the lineup.
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