Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night due to a lingering left calf strain. The two-time MVP also missed Game 1 and the Bucks’ last three regular-season games.
“(He) shot today, was on the floor a bunch,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said during his pregame media session. “He’s getting closer.”
Game 3 is Friday at Indianapolis.
Antetokounmpo was struggling to run up the court in the third quarter of an overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on March 16 when he sat down on the floor before eventually heading to the locker room. An MRI revealed the muscle strain, and Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since.
The Bucks have gone 6-5 in the games Antetokounmpo has missed this season, including a 111-100 victory over the Pacers on Sunday night. Damian Lillard picked up the slack by scoring 35 points, all in the first half.
Antetokounmpo has dealt with injuries in the postseason before. He missed the final 1 1/2 games of a 2020 Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat with a sprained ankle. He sat out the final two games of the 2021 Eastern Conference finals with a hyperextended left knee, but he returned to lead the Bucks to their first championship since 1971 and was named Finals MVP after scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Last year, a forced Antetokounmpo out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics and caused him to miss the next two games in the Bucks’ eventual loss to Miami.
