Giannis Antetokounmpo's X-Rays Clear After Back Injury in Bucks' Game 1 Loss to Heat

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's X-rays were clear after he exited Sunday's 130-117 Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat with a lower back contusion.

"We'll monitor him and see how he wakes up tomorrow," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters.

Antetokounmpo suffered the injury on a scary fall when Kevin Love slid underneath him on a driving attempt:

Antetokounmpo had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes prior to exiting.

The two-time MVP missed his team's game against the Chicago Bulls on April 5 due to right knee soreness, but the Bucks still won 105-92 to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

It's a testament to Antetokounmpo's greatness that he's having another MVP-caliber season but has spent much of the season attempting to catch up to the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić in the race for the award.

The 28-year-old averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor and performed at a high level on the defensive end this season. Fans have just come to expect that kind of production.

There's a similar attitude toward the Bucks' status as a title contender. They are fifth in the league in net rating (plus-3.4), per NBA.com, and haven't fully asserted themselves as the best team in the league.

Still, Milwaukee entered the playoffs as one of the top three or four favorites to lift a championship trophy.

It goes without saying how devastating a serious injury to Antetokounmpo would be to those NBA Finals hopes. As long as he stays healthy, a trip to the conference finals will likely be the minimum expectation.