Veteran Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo left Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a left groin strain and did not return to action. After the 118-1106 loss, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers revealed that the “Greek Freak” would undergo an MRI on his groin on Tuesday.
“We won’t know anything until tomorrow,” Rivers said, via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “Didn’t look great, I can tell you that.”
The news of Antetokounmpo, one of the most durable superstars in the NBA, undergoing an MRI could be a cause for concern for the Bucks, who entered Monday’s game with a surprising 8-6 record despite their offseason roster shakeup.
Bucks Legitimately Concerned
According to Rivers, Antetokounmpo complained about his groin several times during the game before exiting in the second quarter.
“He grabbed (his groin), I want to say in the first quarter, and I asked him then,” Rivers said of his conversation with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“He said it was fine. Then, I think he grabbed it again, and he said it was fine. And then, the third time, you know, is when it happened. But I think it happened earlier, in my opinion.”
Antetokounmpo left the game with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in just 13 minutes of action, when the scores were tied at 49 points apiece. Following his exit, the Bucks were outscored by nine points in the second quarter and eight in the fourth quarter, lacking the firepower to compete with Donovan Mitchell and Co.
Bucks React to ‘Disheartening’ News
Bobby Portis, a longtime teammate of Antetokounmpo, seemed down in spirits after Monday’s game while reacting to the news of the two-time MVP’s injury.
“Just an unfortunate situation that our best player, if not the best player in the league goes down, doesn’t return to the game, don’t know the severity of what it is,” Portis said after Monday’s game, via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.
“But it’s disheartening for us ’cause obviously we need him and our team is basically made up of guys that can bring the best out of him.”
Antetokounmpo, one of the leading candidates to win MVP, is averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and a career-high 6.8 assists through 13 games. On Monday, he passed Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy (20,941) for 42nd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Antetokounmpo could potentially surpass Hal Greer at No. 41 (21,586) and Larry Bird at No. 40 (21,791) if he can continue scoring at his current pace this season.
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