Giannis Antetokounmpo Exits Game with Groin Injury
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter due to a left hamstring strain. Bucks coach Doc Rivers reported that he will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.Rivers explained that Antetokounmpo began to feel discomfort in his groin from the first quarter, grabbing the area on several occasions before leaving the game. With 3:03 remaining in the second quarter, Antetokounmpo limped on defense before committing a foul and heading to the Bucks’ locker room. He was ruled out for the second half. Antetokounmpo scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 13 minutes in the first half. The Bucks were outscored 59-49 and shot 38.6% from the field after halftime, losing consecutive games for the first time this season. The Bucks fell to 8-7 after Monday’s loss, and are 1-1 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season.“It didn’t look good, I can say that,” Rivers said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Doc Rivers, Bucks Coach
Coach Rivers was already preparing a game plan in case Antetokounmpo is out of the game. Antetokounmpo has had one of the best starts to a season of his career, averaging 32.6 points on 63% shooting, 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists in his first 12 games this season. His 36.4% usage rate was the second highest in the NBA before Monday, and Antetokounmpo’s highest since the 2022-23 season. “We have work to do,” Rivers said. “There’s always a silver lining. … I don’t know what it is. It doesn’t look good right now. If we have [Kevin Porter Jr.] out and Giannis out, that’s not good for our team, but we’re going to find someone or something that works and that pays dividends down the road. And that’s the stretch we’re about to go through. We’ll be ready.”“We want to try to get into the paint as much as we can, especially without him, it was a little difficult,” said Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma.
Kyle Kuzma, Bucks Forward
