Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo leaves win over Celtics early due to awkward, non-contact leg injury

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo went down due to an awkward, non-contact leg injury in the second half of his team's 104-91 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

He'll now miss at least the rest of the regular season with what the team is calling a calf strain.

Antetokounmpo was casually jogging after inbounding the ball late in the third quarter on Tuesday night when he suddenly fell to the court. He reached for his left calf instantly, clearly knowing something was wrong, and then was seen limping significantly on his way to the locker room at Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo was quickly ruled out from the rest of the game due to what the Bucks called a left calf strain. After the game, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo would undergo an MRI. The test revealed no structural damage to Antetokounmpo's Achilles' tendon.

The Bucks said on Wednesday afternoon that Antetokounmpo will miss the rest of the regular season with a calf strain.

With the first round of the NBA playoffs scheduled to begin on April 20, Rivers said his concern level for Antetokounmpo was "high."

"He's Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now," Rivers told reporters. "We're just going to hope for the best."

Antetokounmpo had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists when he went down. The 29-year-old entered Tuesday’s game averaging 30.7 points per contest, the second-best output in the league. He’s also averaging 11.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists this season.

Despite losing Antetokounmpo, the Bucks survived a third quarter in which they managed just 15 points as a team and held on to grab the 13-point win Tuesday. Patrick Beverley led Milwaukee with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Brook Lopez finished with 15 points.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 14 points and 10 rebounds. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for Boston. The Celtics didn't shoot a single free throw the entire game.

The Bucks now hold a 48-31 record, which has them second in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics still hold a 14-game lead over the Bucks in the standings, however, and they've locked up the top seed in the conference. The Bucks have just three games left in the regular season.

While it's unclear how bad Antetokounmpo's calf strain is, it hit at about the worst possible time for the Bucks. If Antetokounmpo is out for any significant amount of time during the postseason, the Bucks could be trying to fight off a second consecutive first-round postseason exit.