Giannis Antetokounmpo made his return for the Milwaukee Bucks in their 120-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The reigning back-to-back MVP had missed six straight games prior to Thursday's win due to a sore left knee.
After the contest, Antetokounmpo reflected on sitting out for a lengthy period. He revealed he took it in stride at first, but admitted his frustration as his absence extended further. At the end of the day, Giannis still took the sound advice from their medical staff well.
Via Eric Nehm of The Athletic:
Asked by @ZoraStephenson, how he handled being told to sit out six straight games, Giannis Antetokounmpo said:
"I think this is the first time in my career I kind of took it well because I was in pain. So, I was like, "OK, if you want me to sit out a game, I'll sit out a game."
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 16, 2021
"But then it was the 2nd game and then the 3rd game and then the 4th game and then you start getting frustrated. Then, with the Minnesota game, I was ready to play, but at the end of the day, you know they're going to make the decision based on my health and I gotta listen." – GA
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 16, 2021
Antetokounmpo scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting in his return outing. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 25 minutes of work. Meanwhile, eight Bucks scored at least 8 points in the victory, with Jrue Holiday top-scoring with 23 markers of his own.
The Bucks are now winners of three straight games, following a three game losing slide in the stretch prior to this current winning streak. Milwaukee still holds the third seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
Over his past six games on the sidelines, Antetokounmpo has been the best cheerleader for his squad, bringing out crazy celebrations for his teammates. Still, as he revealed, being on the bench and not joining his brothers on the court certainly ate him up on the inside.
Nonetheless, it was probably the smart decision for the Bucks to keep their franchise superstar off the floor until he's fully healed. Certainly, they would rather keep Antetokounmpo fresh and healthy when the playoffs begin.
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