Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo was held out of Monday night's matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to oral surgery.
Giannis had his dental work done prior to Monday's game, but he was still in attendance for shootaround. His jowl, however, was a bit swollen after what is being reported as a root canal-like procedure. Notably, the 25-year-old Greek star did not have to leave the NBA's bubble complex in Florida.
Via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
The NBA has “privatized” an Orlando-area dentist’s office, sources said. It is not on the Disney campus, but the dentists and assistants are tested daily, and it is secure enough that if a player needs work done, he can be driven there and not be considered to have left the bubble.
As it turns out, The Greek Freak is not the only player who has had dental work done inside the bubble:
At least two other players have had significant dental work done since the league descended upon Disney — the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart both underwent procedures there. As for the procedure Giannis had done, sources compared it to a root canal.
Giannis is currently without an official timetable for return, according to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. If he heals up enough, Antetokounmpo could be back in action as early as Tuesday night against the Wizards.
Budenholzer noted that he is pleased with the NBA's thorough planning for situations like these inside the bubble:
“Very very fortunate the league has thought through everything,” Budenholzer said, via The Athletic. “He obviously needed some attention and was able to get it.”
To be frank, the Bucks have nothing left to gain in this regular season. The team has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Giannis gets ahead of the playoffs.
If Giannis is ruled out for Tuesday's game, players like Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Donte DiVincenzo will likely see an increased workload.
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