Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo ruled out for Game 2 vs. Heat because of back injury
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in Wednesday night’s game.
Antetokounmpo began Wednesday as doubtful on the injury report before he was upgraded to questionable in the afternoon because of a lower back contusion he sustained in Game 1. But Antetokounmpo was ultimately ruled out for Game 2 of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Bucks on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
“We played both scenarios the other night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Wednesday’s morning shootaround session of preparing to face the Bucks with or without Antetokounmpo. “This season, we’ve played them with both lineups. A lot of our prep, you have to be responsible and talk about what you’re doing with G.A. with the way he can break down your defense. The other minutes, they have guys that can put a lot of pressure on your defense and we saw that the other night with [Khris] Middleton and [Jrue] Holiday. Both had an impact.”
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer expressed optimism Tuesday regarding Antetokounmpo’s availability for Game 2 before he was ruled out a few hours before tipoff.
“We have 24-plus hours before game time,” Budenholzer said to reporters following Tuesday’s practice. “He’ll get treatment. And we’ll see how he feels. I think there has been a lot of progress and hopefully there’s more in the next day or so.
“I mean, I think if I’m being honest, I think there is an optimism [that Antetokounmpo will play in Game 2].”
An X-ray and MRI on Antetokounmpo’s injury returned clean. He was limited to just 11 minutes in Game 1 on Sunday after hurting his back in the first quarter.
Antetokounmpo, who is one of the three finalists for the NBA’s MVP award, averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game this regular season.
Along with missing Antetokounmpo, the Bucks will be without guard Wesley Matthews because of a strained right calf. Matthews logged 18 minutes off Milwaukee’s bench in Game 1, finishing with six points on 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range and spending most of his minutes guarding Heat star Jimmy Butler.
On the Heat’s injury report for Game 2, Tyler Herro (right hand fracture) and Nikola Jovic (back spasms) were ruled out.
This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 2:02 PM.
