Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss at least one more game with a lower back contusion, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bucks have decided to keep their superstar on the sidelines for tonight’s Game 3 in Miami.
Antetokounmpo suffered the injury in Sunday’s Game 1 when he crashed to the court on a drive to the basket. He was ruled out for Wednesday’s Game 2 shortly before tipoff, and the Bucks have decided to use the same caution for tonight’s contest.
In a pre-game meeting with the media, coach Mike Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo has made progress in his recovery, but added, “These things just aren’t always a linear thing,” tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Budenholzer declined to point to a specific problem that’s preventing Antetokounmpo from playing, telling reporters, “He’s just not ready to go.” (Twitter link)
Milwaukee responded without its team leader to even up the series with a 16-point win on Wednesday. Game 4 will take place Monday night, so Antetokounmpo will have just one off day to try to heal.
Soft
Not soft, they just don’t need Giannis to beat the Heat.
Don’t check scoreboard from Game 3
Ok, maybe they needed Giannis for this game.
You spelled smart wrong
Knowing what Giannis has done to this point in his career, do you really think he’s soft? It’s the playoffs. If he’s not out there he can’t go. He knows what’s at stake, as does the entire staff. If he could even play 15 minutes he’d be out there. It’s a lame situation and Miami has nothing to lose.
Just makes me respect Dominic Jokic that much more