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76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Suffers Injury

The Milwaukee Bucks are dealing with a notable injury concern as Giannis Antetokounmpo went out early on Sunday against the Miami Heat.
Justin Grasso|
76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Suffers Injury
76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Suffers Injury

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Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee BucksMiami Heat

The final Game 1 matchup for the Eastern Conference was played on Sunday night as the first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks hosted the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.

In a tough battle between the squads with a split regular season record, the Heat found a way to pull off the win in upset fashion. However, there was an early advantage for Miami as Milwaukee’s MVP-caliber big man Giannis Antetokounmpo went out with an injury.

During the first quarter of the Game 1 matchup, Giannis took a hard fall and landed on his back. Right away, the big man went back to the team’s locker room to get checked out.

There were rumblings that Antetokounmpo wanted to return to the court and play through the injury, but it seems that might’ve been too risky. Therefore, Giannis was ruled out for the entire Game 1 matchup against the Heat.

According to Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer, initial X-rays were clear for Antetokounmpo. Now, Milwaukee’s medical staff will have to closely monitor Antetokounmpo’s back in the coming days. 

When the big man left the floor on Sunday, he had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes of action. In his absence, the Heat took advantage of the situation and came away with the win.

Playoff Jimmy Butler was in full effect, checking in for 43 minutes to lead his team with a game-high of 35 points. He made it a double-double by collecting 11 assists and five rebounds. 

Now that Miami takes a 1-0 lead following their 130-117 victory, the Bucks are impatiently waiting for answers on Antetokounmpo’s injury. If he’s unable to to get cleared for action ahead of Game 2, the Bucks could be in some trouble moving forward.

Eastern Conference Bracket

1. Bucks vs. 8. Heat — Heat Lead 1-0

2. Celtics vs. 7. Hawks — Celtics Lead 1-0

3. Sixers vs. 6. Nets — Sixers Lead 1-0

4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Knicks — Knicks Lead 1-0 

Next Up for 76ers:

The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Brooklyn Nets for Game 2 on Monday night. 

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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