Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss Game 2 vs. Heat

The star power forward suffered the injury during Game 1 on Sunday.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss Game 2 vs. Heat
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss Game 2 vs. Heat /

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out for Game 2 of Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series against the Heat on Wednesday night.

The former NBA MVP suffered a lower back contusion during Game 1 on Sunday. The decision to hold Antetokounmpo out of Game 2 was announced a little over two hours before tipoff in Milwaukee.

At this time, it’s unknown how long the Bucks expect Antetokounmpo to be out of the lineup. 

The star forward did not warm up with the team before the game, and coach Mike Budenholzer did not offer any updates on Antetokounmpo’s progress.

Milwaukee lost Game 1, 130–117, after Antetokounmpo left in the first quarter. He finished with six points and three rebounds in the 11 minutes that he played. In Antetokounmpo’s absence, Bobby Portis stepped up and recorded 21 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes.

The top-seeded Bucks tip off against the No. 8-seed Heat at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday at Fiserv Forum.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.