Bucks 'optimistic' about Giannis Antetokounmpo's back injury; testing was clear
The Milwaukee Bucks held a film session Monday at the Sports Science Center following their 130-117 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, but head coach Mike Budenholzer did provide an update on Most Valuable Player finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo and his lower back contusion.
“I would say he’s still sore, but I think progress and he’s getting some treatment and I think we’ll just continue to monitor him for the next 24 (hours), next day or two,” Budenholzer said. “And probably fortunate that two days between games. So, I think still mostly positive, mostly optimistic, but we’ll see how he feels in the next day or two.”
The coach added that an X-ray and MRI were clean.
The Bucks host the Heat in Game 2 at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Antetokounmpo left Sunday’s game for good with 8 minutes, 33 seconds left in the second quarter with a lower back bruise after he was clearly affected by a fall he suffered at the 4:13 mark of the first on a drive to the basket.
Antetokounmpo played 11 minutes in the loss, scoring six points on 2 of 4 shooting.
Bobby Portis responded with a 21-point, 8-rebound effort off the bench and the Sixth Man of the Year finalist has started 18 of the 19 games Antetokounmpo missed in the regular season.
The Bucks were 11-8 overall in games Antetokounmpo did not play.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks 'optimistic' about Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury after fall
