The Milwaukee Bucks have suffered another major blow as Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss at least a week after injuring his knee.
Antetokounmpo has been diagnosed with left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise, ESPN's Shams Charania reports, and will be re-evaluated in a week, making his short-term availability uncertain as Milwaukee tries to stay alive in the playoff race.
There was an initial sigh of relief within the organization after the imaging ruled out anything more serious. Head coach Doc Rivers addressed the situation before Tuesday's game against Cleveland, confirming the positive news while acknowledging that there are still many unknowns.
“The good news is, it was a really good image. No damage was done,” Rivers said before Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers. “That's really good news. But I don't know the next part [about a timeline]”.
The injury occurred Sunday against Indiana when Antetokounmpo landed awkwardly after a dunk attempt in the third quarter. Although it initially felt like he could continue playing, the Bucks ultimately held him out for the remainder of the game.
Rivers also gave insight into Giannis' recent recovery since his return earlier this month, suggesting the former MVP may have put too much stress on his body in his limited time.
“He tried to compress 35 minutes into 20 minutes,” Rivers said when evaluating Antetokounmpo's performance after his return. “Even the last game, I think he still scored 28 points, which was pretty nerve-wracking, honestly. For a coach, that's pretty nerve-wracking.”
The timing couldn't be worse for Milwaukee. With just 14 games left in the regular season, the Bucks are just outside of playoff contention and struggling to maintain consistency, especially without their franchise star.
Rivers acknowledged there is uncertainty about how the team will handle Antetokounmpo's remaining season given the team's position in the standings.
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