CLEVELAND — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will undergo an MRI on Tuesday after leaving Monday night’s 118-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a left groin strain, head coach Doc Rivers said.
The two-time MVP first appeared to favor the area in the opening quarter. Rivers noted that Antetokounmpo grabbed at his groin several times before departing. “Didn’t look great, I can tell you that,” the coach said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
With 3:03 remaining in the second period, Antetokounmpo hobbled up the floor on defense, committed a foul and headed straight to the locker room. The Bucks ruled him out for the remainder of the game at halftime. He later left Rocket Arena without a noticeable limp or assistance.
Before the injury, Antetokounmpo logged 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes. Milwaukee, which trailed 59-57 at intermission, shot just 38.6% in the second half and was outscored 59-49, dropping consecutive games for the first time this season. The Bucks are now 8-7 overall and 1-1 in contests the forward has missed.
“We want to get into the paint as much as possible, and not having him makes that tougher,” forward Kyle Kuzma said. “We’ll look at the film and figure out the best approach if it is a groin strain.”
Antetokounmpo is off to one of the strongest starts of his career, averaging 32.6 points on 63% shooting along with 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists through 12 games. His 36.4% usage rate entering Monday ranked second in the league and was his highest since the 2022-23 season.
Rivers acknowledged that the team is already planning for the possibility of playing without its cornerstone. “We’ve got some work to do,” he said. “If we’ve got Kevin Porter Jr. out and Giannis out, that’s not great for our team, but we’ll find a way and be ready for the stretch ahead.”
Source: ESPN
