Giannis has precautionary MRI on left knee
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent a precautionary MRI on his left knee Saturday stemming from a hard fall in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a league source.
He is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s 5 p.m. game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena due to what has been termed as “left knee soreness.” The results of Antetokounmpo’s MRI have not yet surfaced, but the doubtful designation leaves a slight possibility he could play Sunday, though it’s hard to believe playing would be in Antetokounmpo’s or the Bucks’ short- or long-term interests.
The incident happened in with about 41⁄2 minutes left in the game when Antetokounmpo drove to the rim. He ran into Avery Bradley on the way, drawing a foul as Bradley dropped to the floor. Antetokounmpo then collected the ball and went up to dunk hoping for an and-one. Officials determined the foul was committed before the shot.
As Antetokounmpo came down from his dunk, he tried to avoid landing on Bradley. His left leg came down awkwardly, with his foot getting caught underneath him as he awkwardly and painfully bent backward on top of it.
He stayed down on the floor for close to a minute before getting up to shoot free throws. Despite his apparent discomfort, Antetokounmpo played the rest of the game having convinced coach Mike Budenholzer and the Bucks medical staff during a timeout that he was able to keep going and after the game claimed his knee was feeling “good.”
“He made it look and sound like he was OK,” Budenholzer said. “Anytime anybody takes a fall – Giannis isn’t any
different than anybody else, we need everybody – so yeah, it was pretty scary. Hopefully, everything is fine. ...
“We do have to protect him from himself, but pretty confident that he was OK to keep going.”
Antetokounmpo is in the midst of a season where he is the favorite to repeat as the league's MVP. After racking up 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Lakers, he is averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
The Bucks, owners of the league's best record at 53-10, have gone 5-1 in games Antetokounmpo has missed. They're also plus-5.8 points per 100 possessions with Antetokounmpo off the court this season – a net rating that would rank behind just five whole teams – heading into Sunday. But missing Antetokounmpo for any amount of time is something the Bucks would clearly want to avoid.