Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Milwaukee Bucks' final three games of the regular season due to a left calf strain he suffered on April 9 against the Boston Celtics. Reports on Monday suggested that Antetokounmpo was set to miss Game 1 of the team's first NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Now, it appears as if the Bucks are preparing to be without Giannis to begin this series, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
šØ The Bucks are preparing to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the start of their first-round matchup against the Pacers, per @wojespn.
Milwaukee hopes treatment on his left calf strain will allow him to return later in the series. pic.twitter.com/sh4pVinolv
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 16, 2024
However, as Woj notes, the Bucks remain hopeful that treatment for Giannis' left calf injury will allow him to return at some point later in this series. Antetokounmpo has been undergoing āaround the clockā treatment in attempts to get back on the floor with his teammates.
The Bucks will host the Pacers for Game 1 of this first-round series on Sunday, April 21 in Milwaukee. Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers have been a tough opponent for the Bucks this season, winning four of their five meetings in total. This season, Milwaukee has posted a 4-5 record when Antetokounmpo does not play.
In a total of 73 games, Giannis averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds per game, and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the floor, becoming the first player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 60 percent shooting.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's status vs. Pacers
Without Antetokounmpo on the court, the Bucks lost two of their final three games and fell to the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference on the final day of the regular season after losing 113-88 on the road against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks' overall offensive production and their defensive rating drop when Giannis isn't on the court, which is concerning seeing as they are set to take on the Pacers, who led the league in scoring offense this season.
Milwaukee has given very little detail on Giannis' injury to this point. Originally ruled out for the rest of the game against the Boston Celtics on April 9 due to a non-contact left soleus injury, the Bucks later revealed that MRI results showed a left calf strain. No timetable has been given for this injury other than that Antetokounmpo will miss at least the opening game of this first-round series against the Pacers.
As the Bucks prepare for the Pacers, Bobby Portis is expected to play a key role alongside Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton to begin this series. In the nine games the Bucks played during the regular season without Giannis, Portis stepped up by averaging 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting just under 60 percent from the floor. The Bucks will need this type of production from their sixth man if they are to hold an early advantage over Indiana in the first round.
When Antetokounmpo will return from his calf injury remains a mystery. Although the Bucks are hopeful that they will have him back for this series against the Pacers, there are no guarantees that Giannis will, in fact, play against Milwaukee's bitter rivals. The team will provide further updates on their superstar's status as the series progresses.
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