Seeds of ‘doubt’
Giannis knee injury puts pressure on Bucks teammates vs. Hawks
MILWAUKEE — The Bucks overhauled their roster during the offseason to put more star power around two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Their championship hopes now may depend on how well those other guys can perform without him.
Antetokounmpo is doubtful for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday after an MRI exam showed he hyperextended his left knee in the Bucks’ 110-88 Game 4 loss to the Hawks.
“Giannis is going to do everything he can to be available,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Wednesday. “We’re going to put his health and safety first and together make good decisions.”
Antetokounmpo’s injury looked considerably more serious when he was clutching his knee in obvious pain Tuesday night. But as encouraging as the MRI results are for the Bucks’ long-term ambitions, the injury seriously complicates their hopes of winning this series and reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.
The Bucks and Hawks are tied at two games apiece.
“Any time you see your best player go down, it’s not great,” Bucks forward P.J. Tucker said after Game 4. “But it’s an opportunity for somebody else and everybody else to step up. It’s the Eastern Conference finals. There’s no excuses. It doesn’t matter whoever is playing, not playing. They’ve got guys out. Everybody’s hurt. Everybody’s banged up. Everybody has injuries. You have to fight through it and win.”
Milwaukee brought in Jrue Holiday during the offseason to form a trio of AllStars alongside Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. They added more playoff experience by acquiring Tucker before the All-Star break.
The price the Bucks paid to make those moves reduced Milwaukee’s overall depth. That issue became even more glaring once guard Donte DiVincenzo tore a ligament in his ankle in the first-round series with Miami to knock him out for the remainder of the postseason.
Antetokounmpo’s situation represents a cruel twist of fate for a Bucks team that had been capitalizing on other teams’ injuries.
The Bucks won’t get much sympathy from the Hawks, who have their own injury problems.
Young’s status for Game 5 remains uncertain. The Hawks also aren’t sure about the availability of Clint Capela, who took an elbow to the face late in Game 4. De’Andre Hunter is out for the remainder of the postseason after undergoing knee surgery. Bogdan Bogdanovic is playing with a sore knee, and Cam Reddish just returned from an Achilles injury that knocked him out for four months.
“The preparation is really still the same as far as preparing for them,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “You don’t just prepare for Giannis. They have a lot of other guys over there that
are productive and can play and they can go to. We’ll continue to prepare for the Bucks as opposed to just one individual.”