Giannis Antetokounmpo, the top scorer in the league this season, was unexpectedly left out of the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Cup game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night due to swelling in his left knee.
Antetokounmpo was expected to play until about an hour before the game. Initially, the team had listed him as probable because of a strained left calf, but the knee problem seemed to flare up.
“I never know,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers, about 90 minutes before the game, after the team reported the knee issue. “Honestly, that’s breaking news to me, too, right now.”
Despite Antetokounmpo’s absence, the Bucks won the game 106-103, with Damian Lillard scoring 37 points and providing 12 assists. Milwaukee outscored Miami 60-30 from the three-point line.
Rivers learned about an hour before the game that Antetokounmpo wouldn’t play, so he met with the coaching staff and adjusted the game plan. Even after the game, Rivers was unsure of what had happened with Antetokounmpo’s knee.
“Giannis doesn’t miss many games,” Rivers said. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it was the right thing to do.”
Milwaukee’s next game is against Washington on Saturday. According to the NBA’s player participation policy, which started last season, teams must have star players for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games unless they have an approved reason for the player’s absence.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, is certainly considered a star player, and the game in Miami was both nationally televised and part of the NBA Cup. Earlier Tuesday, the NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 for not allowing Trae Young to play in a Cup game against Boston on Nov. 12, after an investigation determined he could have played.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week, is having a career season with an average of 32.4 points per game on 61% shooting. He has played in 16 of Milwaukee’s first 17 games.
“Listen, the way he plays and how he works, there’s going to be things like this,” Rivers said. “And when they come, you just deal with them.”
