Giannis Antetokounmpo to undergo MRI after leaving Bucks’ loss with groin strain
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CLEVELAND — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will have an MRI on Tuesday after exiting Monday night’s 118-106 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a left groin strain, head coach Doc Rivers said.
“It didn’t look great, I can tell you that,” Rivers told reporters. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Antetokounmpo appeared to favor the area early in the game, repeatedly grabbing at his groin during the first quarter and again in the second. With 3:03 remaining in the half, he hobbled back on defense, committed a foul, and headed directly to the locker room. He was ruled out at halftime.
The two-time MVP left Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse without a noticeable limp. In 13 minutes, he posted 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Without Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee struggled offensively, shooting 38.6 percent after intermission and being outscored 59-49. The Bucks (8-7) have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season and are 1-1 without their star.
Forward Kyle Kuzma acknowledged the impact of Antetokounmpo’s absence. “We want to get into the paint as much as we can. Not having him, it was a little bit hard,” Kuzma said. “We stalled a couple possessions. We’ll look at the tape and figure it out if it is a groin strain.”
Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.6 points on 63 percent shooting along with 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. His 36.4 usage rate entering Monday ranked second in the NBA.
Rivers said the team is bracing for the possibility of additional missed games. “We’ve got some work to do,” he noted. “There’s always a silver lining. I don’t know what it is. If we’ve got Kevin Porter Jr. out and Giannis out, that’s not great for our team. But we’re going to find something that will pay dividends later. We’ll be ready.”
Source: Hoops Wire
