Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks forward, won’t play for the rest of the regular season due to a strained left calf. His return for the playoffs is uncertain. He exited Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics in the third quarter due to difficulty running.
The Bucks provided an update on his condition on Wednesday. The team is relieved that the injury is limited to his calf, as there were concerns about his Achilles tendon. The Bucks haven’t given any indication of when Antetokounmpo might return for the playoffs.
“There’s no specific timeline for his return, but our medical team is top-notch,” Rivers mentioned. “Giannis is known for his hard work, so we’re confident he’ll be back when he’s ready. We’ll have to wait and see.”
When asked if he expects Antetokounmpo to be back for the playoffs, Rivers replied, “I’m hopeful, but I can’t say for sure. We’ll just have to wait and see.” The Bucks’ last two regular-season games are against Oklahoma City on Friday and Orlando on Sunday. Their first playoff game is scheduled for either April 20 or 21.
Antetokounmpo injured his left calf while running up the court after a basket by Boston’s Derrick White in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game. He was assisted off the court and walked to the locker room on his own. The Bucks diagnosed him with a strained left soleus, which is a muscle in the calf.
Damian Lillard mentioned that he had a similar injury last season while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. He recalled returning from a calf injury after about eight or nine days, only to then injure his soleus, which caused him to miss another two weeks.
“It’s much better to know it’s just a calf strain rather than an Achilles injury,” Lillard mentioned on Wednesday. Antetokounmpo has faced injuries around this time of year before but has shown an incredible ability to bounce back quickly.
In the Bucks’ championship-winning season of 2020-21, Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee during the Eastern Conference finals. Despite missing the last two games of the series against the Atlanta Hawks, he returned for the NBA Finals and was named MVP after a standout performance in Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns.
Last year, Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back in Game 1 of the Bucks’ playoff series against the Miami Heat. He missed the remainder of that game and the following two games before coming back in Game 4 of the series, which the Bucks lost 4-1.
