Bucks Zone

"We have to wait and see what the doctors say"- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer speaks on Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury

The Greek Freak had an X-ray and the results came back clean.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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To have Giannis Antetokounmpo in this crucial stage of the NBA season is undoubtedly a must for the Milwaukee Bucks.

But after the two-time MVP suffered a back contusion that forced him to prematurely exit in their 130-117 Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night, the Bucks will not rush him back and will have to wait for advice from doctors.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said they will monitor Giannis and "see how he wakes up [Monday]."

"We have to wait and see what the doctors say," Budenholzer said.

A resilient Giannis

Assessing Giannis' situation will be a "day by day," and the Greek Freak will have an ultimate say when he is fully ready to return.

"Most importantly, what Giannis says," said Budenholzer, who added that his superstar had an X-ray, and the result came back "clean."

One thing about Antetokounmpo is that he has shown in the past that he has the ability to return from injury earlier than expected.

"Certainly, we've been blessed with him being incredibly resilient and quick to heal, but you've just got to take it day by day and see how he's doing and see how he feels," Budenholzer concluded.

Antetokounmpo suffered the injury with 1:46 left in the first quarter when he tried to drive to the basket but was met by Kevin Love, who tried to take a charging foul.

The collision caused Giannis to land on his back, as he grimaced in pain after the hard fall.

To make it even worse, Giannis was slapped with a charging foul. He checked out and headed to the locker room, hobbling.

Played through it

Giannis returned to the bench with tape around his lower back. He checked back in with 9:56 left in the second quarter but did not last long on the floor and left for good.

Budenholzer said it was clear that the injury was affecting Giannis when he tried to play through it.

"He just wasn't moving [well]," Budenholzer said. "Didn't look comfortable, confident. It felt like the right thing."

Overall, Antetokounmpo played for just 11 minutes and scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.