Bucks leave Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return date open
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Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Monday the team has “no timetable” for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comeback from a right calf strain, keeping the two-time NBA MVP’s status uncertain after he initially estimated a four-to-six-week absence.
Antetokounmpo, 31, exited Friday’s 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets with 34 seconds remaining after feeling a pop in the calf he had wrapped earlier in the game. An MRI later confirmed the strain, Rivers said.
“There’s really no timetable,” the coach reiterated when asked about a possible return date.
The forward had already missed eight games from Dec. 5-26 with a similar right calf issue. Strains in his left calf sidelined him for the 2024 playoffs and the 2025 All-Star Game.
Antetokounmpo told reporters Friday he would have left the game sooner if the Bucks owned a stronger record, but he stayed on the floor for 32 minutes, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. “I felt like I couldn’t explode,” he said. “At the end, when it popped, I had to get out. I couldn’t walk.”
Milwaukee has dropped five of its last six contests and sits 18-26, 11th in the Eastern Conference, threatening a streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances. The club is 15-15 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him this season.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists over 30 games. Teammate Bobby Portis called the star’s decision to keep playing through discomfort “a testament to his character.”
The Bucks also have been without second-leading scorer Kevin Porter Jr. for the past two games because of an oblique strain, and Rivers said there is no update on Porter’s availability.
Source: ESPN
