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76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks Optimistic About Key Injury

The Milwaukee Bucks won't rule out Giannis Antetokounmpo for Game 2 vs. Miami Heat just yet.
Justin Grasso|
76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks Optimistic About Key Injury
76ers Playoff Watch: Bucks Optimistic About Key Injury

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Philadelphia 76ersMilwaukee BucksMiami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks lost their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo early on in their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon.

As Antetokounmpo took a hard fall during the first quarter of the game, he left the court to get his back checked out. Not long after exiting the game, the Bucks ruled out Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the outing.

As expected, Antetokounmpo’s absence was notable in the Game 1 battle between the Heat and the Bucks. Although Milwaukee received a strong outing from the veteran forward Khris Middleton as he scored 33 points in 33 minutes, the Bucks still came up short with an upset 130-117 loss.

After the game, Milwaukee’s head coach Mike Budenholzer wouldn’t speculate on a potential timeline for Antetokounmpo. While the X-rays came back clear, Budenholzer mentioned that the team would “monitor” Antetokounmpo and see how he feels on Monday.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there is “optimism” surrounding Antetokounmpo’s availability for the Game 2 matchup between the Bucks and the Heat. As Antetokounmpo wasn’t diagnosed with anything severe, his availability against the Heat might boil down to how he’s feeling physically.

After the hard fall, Antetokounmpo might struggle to feel one hundred percent in the first-round series, but his presence alone should help Milwaukee in the tough first-round series against Jimmy Butler and the Heat, who are dealing with some notable injury concerns of their own.

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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