Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo exited Monday’s 118-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second quarter after suffering a left groin strain.
Head coach Doc Rivers said the two-time MVP is set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.
Rivers noted that Antetokounmpo began showing signs of discomfort early in the game. He appeared to favour his left groin throughout the first quarter and grabbed at the area several times before ultimately leaving the floor.
With just over three minutes left in the second quarter, he struggled to get back on defense, committed a foul and then made his way to the locker room. He did not return after half-time.
“He grabbed it in the first quarter, and I asked him and he said it was fine,” Rivers said. “Then, I think, he grabbed it again, and he said it was fine. Then, the third time is when it happened, but I think it happened earlier, in my opinion.”
Antetokounmpo left Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse without a limp or any visible need for support. Before exiting, he posted 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 13 minutes.
Without their star, Milwaukee struggled offensively in the second half, shooting just 38.6 per cent and getting outscored 59-49.
The loss marked their second straight defeat, the first time this season they have dropped back-to-back games.
Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma acknowledged the challenges the team faced without Antetokounmpo’s presence inside.
“We want to be able to try to get into the paint as much as we can, especially not having him, it was a little bit hard,” Kuzma said.
“We had a couple possessions where we stalled or we might’ve posted up a little bit more than we kind of wanted to, but I think that we’re going to hit the tape in the next day or two and figure out ways to incorporate [that] if it is a groin strain.”
Antetokounmpo has been in outstanding form to start the season, averaging 32.6 points on 63 per cent shooting, 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists across his first 12 games.
His 36.4 per cent usage rate entering Monday was the second highest in the league and his highest mark since the 2022-23 campaign.
The Bucks dropped to 8-7 with the loss and are now 1-1 in games Antetokounmpo has missed. Rivers said the coaching staff has already begun considering adjustments in the event he is unavailable for upcoming games.
“We got some work to do,” Rivers said. “There’s always a silver lining. I don’t know what it is.
“It doesn’t look good right now. If we got [Kevin Porter Jr.] out and Giannis out, that’s not great for our team, but we’re going to either find somebody or find something to run that will pay dividends later. And that’s the stretch that we’re about to go through. We’ll be ready.”
