Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had to be helped off court vs. Boston with calf injury

The entire Fiserv Forum was in shock last night when they witnessed Giannis Antetokoumpo’s face as he had to be helped off the court during their match against the Celtics. Despite losing their two-time MVP to an injury on his left calf in the third quarter, the Bucks still ended up victorious 104 to 91.

It all started when the European star headed up the court after a three-pointer hit by rival Derrick White, when Giannis fell to the floor in pain while grabbing his left leg. Nobody knew what happened, as he crumpled without contact with any opponent, until the Milwaukee coach called a timeout and was helped off court by his teammates.

The Greek Freak was officially ruled out during the fourth quarter, as he rested in the locker room as his left soleus strain was confirmed, which is a muscle in the back part of the calf.

🚨 Giannis Antetokounmpo has avoided damage to his left Achilles tendon and should be back in one to two weeks depending on rehab, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/d0e9pHqsuK

— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) April 10, 2024

Once the match was over, Doc Rivers revealed that the superstar would be undergoing an MRI exam on his calf, as well as a test to his Achilles tendon. The 29-year-old ended the contest with 15 points after 7-of-11 from the field, plus 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

As the player left the arena without speaking to the press, Rivers was asked about the gravity of the situation. “High, I would say that,” he replied. “He’s Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. We’re just going to hope for the best.”

Before the matchup, Antetokounmpo had been listed on the injury reported as questionable due to left hamstring tendinopathy, and during the day upgraded to probable. The player had already missed three contests since March because of it, including last Friday’s clash against the Raptors.

“Any time you see one of your teammates go down, it’s I think a real level of concern,” said teammate Damian Lillard. “We spend a lot of time around each other, more than we would our families. I think that was the No. 1 thing. And then for it to be your best player, the most important part of our team, at this point in the season, it was like an, ‘Oh, [damn]’ moment, especially because there was nobody else around.”

Last night was only the 5th time in the past 30 matches in which the Bucks played all Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton

The Milwaukee roster has been hit plenty with injuries this campaign, as they’ve barely been able to enjoy their power trio of Giannis, Dame and Khris Middleton. Incredibly, last night’s clash against the Celtics was only their fifth outing in the past 30 games in which they had all three stars available.

“We’re going to need him,” Middleton said of the Greek Freak, “so if he’s got to get rest, if he’s got to sit out these [next] couple of games to be ready for the playoffs, we need him to be as close to 100% as he can be.”

The only player who shot from the foul line that night was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who dropped in one of his two chances. Boston became the first team in NBA history to play an entire match without shooting a single free throw.

“Man, [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver’s the happiest,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers joked once the game was over. “1:57 game time. My goodness, you can go to a game and still have dinner. Unbelievable.”