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Giannis Antetokounmpo Treated for 'Intense Cramping' After Bucks' Game 5 Win vs. Suns
July 18, 2021
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was treated for "intense cramping" following Saturday's 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Malika Andrews of ESPN reported Antetokounmpo left his postgame press conference before later returning because of the cramping.
While it's not a surprise for Antetokounmpo to suffer some level of cramping after he played 41 high-intensity NBA Finals minutes, the entire league is on heightened alert after his brother, Thanasis, was placed into health and safety protocols. All testing on Giannis has presumably come back negative for him to be eligible to play in Game 5.
"It was extremely difficult for him not to be here to cheer for the team," Giannis told reporters of his brother. "He gives the team a lot of energy, and the team feels it. As much as it hurts, we still got to do our job, and I FaceTimed him after the game."
Giannis put up 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the Bucks' come-from-behind victory, his third game in the series over the 30-point mark. He's one win away from his first NBA championship and presumably the Finals MVP, with averages of 32.2 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the series.
The Bucks have reeled off three straight victories after going down 0-2, and it's fair to say the team's collective breath will be held over the next 48 hours. The team already lost assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer from the bench to contact tracing, and Milwaukee can ill-afford any additional issues with COVID as it looks to close out its first title since 1971.
