Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo as playoffs begin: ESPN report

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks are gearing up to the start the NBA playoffs without Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski said in a post on X that the team is "hopeful treatment on his left calf strain will allow him to return sometime later in the series" with the Indiana Pacers.

Antetokounmpo was heading up the court after a 3-point basket by Boston’s Derrick White late in the third quarter last Tuesday when the two-time MVP grabbed his left calf and took a seat on the floor. He eventually was helped off the court and was shown walking into the locker room under his own power.

The Bucks later diagnosed him with a strained left soleus. The soleus is a muscle in the calf.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 09: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is helped off the court by Thanasis Antetokounmpo #43 and Brook Lopez #11 after suffering an injury during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at Fiser

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Injuries in the past

Antetokounmpo has dealt with injuries this time of year before, while showing an extraordinary ability to recover quickly.

During the Bucks’ 2020-21 championship season, Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee during the Eastern Conference finals. He missed the last two games of the Bucks’ 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Hawks but returned to play the entire NBA Finals and was named MVP of the series after scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 triumph over the Phoenix Suns.

Last year, Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back after getting fouled and landing hard in Game 1 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo sat out the rest of that game and also missed Milwaukee’s next two games before returning in Game 4 of a series the Bucks lost 4-1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.