The Milwaukee Bucks team must have woken on the wrong side of the bed. They came this close to losing Giannis Antetokounmpo in what was a horrifying injury scare. A baseline spin on Kevin Durant, and the “Greek Freak” went down.
Although it looked like Giannis might leave the court for good, he seemed to be determined to see the game through to the finish. Antetokounmpo entered the court with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo just went down after that baseline spin on Kevin Durant.
He's grabbing at his back.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) February 7, 2024
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Unfortunately, Antetokounmpo’s doggedness wasn’t enough to carry his Bucks to a victory to end their road trip. He finished with a double-double (34 points and 10 rebounds) in 39 minutes as Milwaukee lost 106-114. Both teams gave as good as they got. But that wasn’t enough, clearly.
Giannis was already on the injury list ahead of the game, dealing with Patellar Tendinitis on his right knee, along with Damian Lillard. Dame’s left ankle sprain had put him on the injury report before their previous Jazz matchup. But come game time, Lillard opted to suit up. And finished the night with just 12 points.
It’s safe to assume that the ankle might have been causing him serious discomfort for the 8x All-Star to produce one of the subpar performances. Giannis, for his part, has had his fair share of injuries too.
Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t immune to injury bug
Although not as injury-riddled as his fellow teammate, Khris Middleton, Antetokounmpo isn’t exactly free from injuries. He’s had quite a few incidents as well. Although it seems that throughout his 11 seasons, none have been persistent as his knee issues from the start of this year and pretty much the entire 2023.
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Throughout last year, he’s been on the injury list a little too often for comfort. A majority were, again, knee issues. But he was also hit with right wrist pain and right quad contusion in February. And then it was a mix of calf, back, and foot injuries. Probably none of these come close to the knee injury in the 2021 playoffs. It was full-fledged panic then.
The injury happened in Game 4. Although Giannis didn’t play in the subsequent Games 5 and 6, his teammates managed to win both games. And just like that, they advanced to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1974. Of course, he was available for the Finals, bringing home their first title since 1971.
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But it was still a heart-stopping moment for the Bucks. Hopefully, nothing like that happens this time and a good rest is all Antetokounmpo needs.
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