Giannis Antetokounmpo Pulled Out of Bucks vs. Heat Game Due to Injury
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had a terrifying fall on a drive to the hoop in the first quarter of Game 1 against the Heat, Sporting News reports.
Antetokounmpo cautiously made his way to the changing rooms. After further attempts to rejoin the game, he could not contribute, and he was eventually declared ineligible.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was going for a layup when he ran into Kevin Love, who was positioned to take charge. As Antetokounmpo went down, he stayed on the court for a while before returning to his feet.
The Bucks later said Giannis injury was a lower back contusion
The top-seeded Bucks lost to the eighth-seeded Heat 130-117 because Giannis Antetokounmpo was out for most of the game.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update
It was determined that Love had committed a blocking foul on the play; therefore, Antetokounmpo stayed in to shoot his free throws and play for a few more minutes before leaving the game at the end of the first quarter, per CBS Sports.
He left the field and immediately proceeded into the locker room, only to return to the bench in time for the beginning of the second quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the game with 9:56 left in the second quarter and performed a series of twists and leaps at midcourt to loosen up his back.
He played for only a minute and a half before being replaced at the 8:33 mark. He hobbled carefully down the tunnel to the locker room again, and a little while later, he was formally ruled out.
"There was an X-ray that was clear here, so we'll monitor him, see how he does," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "See how he wakes up and feels the rest of tonight and tomorrow."
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks
Before leaving the game, Antetokounmpo scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes, the Bleacher Report noted.
The two-time MVP sat out on April 5 due to pain in his right knee, but the Bucks still beat the Bulls 105-92 to clinch the Eastern Conference's top spot.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another MVP-caliber season, but he has spent most of the season playing catch-up to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Nikola Joki of the Denver Nuggets.
The 28-year-old had a great season on both ends of the court, averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 55.3% shooting from the floor.
The Bucks' standing as a title contender needs to be more appreciated, even though they are sixth in the NBA in net rating (plus-3.4), according to NBA.com.
Even yet, Milwaukee was one of the top three or four favorites to win the championship before the playoffs began.
A catastrophic Giannis injury would harm the Milwaukee Bucks' chances of making the NBA Finals. If he can maintain his health, the team should at least aim for the conference finals.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
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