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Bucks Nation held its collective breath as Giannis Antetokounmpo went down versus the Atlanta Hawks

Scary scenes as Giannis Antetokounmpo rolled his ankle badly in the second quarter.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks returned home after a three-game road trip as they took on the Atlanta Hawks. Their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo returned after missing two games due to a knee injury. Despite Giannis' return, the Bucks were defeated by the Hawks in what was a lopsided affair for the most part.

But in the second quarter of the game, the entire Bucks Nation held its collective breath after a freaky incident that could have derailed their entire season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo twists his ankle

The Bucks were down by 6 and the Hawks' AJ Griffin had the ball near the logo, but Bucks' Jevon Carter poked it away. He got the ball and tossed it ahead to the rookie MarJon Beauchamp, who ran to the rim to lay it up. He missed it, but there was a foul called on the play.

Then the entire arena went quiet. 

As it happened, Giannis was trailing on the play, and he stepped on Jalen Johnson's foot trying to grab the offensive rebound. This caused him to twist his ankle and go down in pain. The commentary team, his teammates, and fans in the arena and around the world were holding their breath, looking in shock and hoping their superstar is alright.

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Luckily, Giannis shook it off, and he was able to continue. This could have been a huge disaster, as an ankle twist like that can end up being severely more serious. These types of injuries have put players out for entire seasons in the past, but luckily Giannis avoided anything serious.

Giannis' freakish durability

This isn't the first occasion that Giannis has displayed incredible endurance and durability. Back in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, Giannis had a massive injury scare. In Game 4 against the Hawks, Giannis hyperextended his knee. He was down in pain, and he had to be helped off the court. Many thought this was the end of the season and the Bucks' hopes of winning a title.

The Bucks were able to win games 5 and 6 and advance to the NBA Finals. And to their surprise, Giannis had recovered from his injury, and he was ready to go in Game 1. In the Finals, He produced one dominant performance after another as he won his first NBA title.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.