Giannis to miss last 3 games of season due to calf strain
Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the remaining three games of the regular season due to a calf strain, the team announced Wednesday.
The Bucks star will receive daily treatment and remain under evaluation. He suffered the injury in Tuesday night's win over the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI that confirmed the strain. It also showed that his left Achilles tendon remains fully intact and didn't suffer any significant damage, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Antetokounmpo appeared to sustain the non-contact ailment after inbounding the ball to teammate Damian Lillard in the third quarter.
When asked Wednesday if he expected Antetokounmpo to be ready for the playoffs, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, "I don't know, I'm just hoping," according to The Athletic's Eric Nehm.
"Anytime you see one of your teammates go down, it’s a real level of concern," Lillard told Nehm postgame Tuesday.
Lillard added: "And I was right next to him. So, I just saw, like, kind of his facial expression, like his reaction. So, obviously, I got scared."
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said postgame that the level of concern about Antetokounmpo's injury was "high," according to ESPN's Jamal Collier.
"But he's Giannis," Rivers added. "I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. We're just going (to) hope for the best."
Antetokounmpo, 29, is averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists on 61.1% shooting from the field in 73 games this season.
The 48-31 Bucks sit second in the Eastern Conference with a one-game advantage over the New York Knicks. Milwaukee owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Knicks.