Bucks HC Doc Rivers gives crucial Giannis injury update after Pistons win

Doc Rivers gave the Milwaukee Bucks some badly needed good news after a very stressful night. Giannis Antetokounmpo fell to the floor less than three minutes into the Milwaukee Bucks’ 113-109 comeback win over the Detroit Pistons, grabbing at his right leg after trying to sprint back on defense.

The Bucks later called it a right calf strain, and Antetokounmpo never returned after posting two points, one rebound, and one assist in his brief stint. After the game, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told reporters he thinks the team has ruled out the worst-case scenario.

“Doc Rivers tells reporters that he thinks the Bucks have ruled out an Achilles injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo,” beat writer Eric Nehm relayed on X, easing the biggest fear for everyone in Milwaukee. 

Even without their superstar, the Bucks fought back. Kevin Porter Jr. dropped 26 points and seven assists, Ryan Rollins added 22 points and eight dimes, and AJ Green buried five threes on his way to 19 points as Milwaukee erased an 18-point deficit in front of a nervous Fiserv Forum crowd via the ESPN Box Score. Jericho Sims chipped in a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Bobby Portis delivered 13 second-half points. 

This is not Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first scare of the season. He already missed time with a left groin strain and returned only recently, trying to steady a Bucks team that has stumbled out of the gate. 

All of this plays out against a wild backdrop. Earlier in the day, ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are discussing his long-term future with the Bucks. Rivers pushed back hard on any idea that Giannis wants out, insisting pregame that there have been “no conversations” about a trade and that his star still loves Milwaukee. 

For now, the calf strain and the looming imaging will dictate everything. The Bucks escaped with a win and sidestepped an Achilles nightmare. How long they must live without Giannis Antetokounmpo is the next, much bigger question.

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