Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Out for NBA Playoffs Game 2 vs. Heat with Back Injury
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in Wednesday's Game 2 matchup against the Miami Heat after suffering a back contusion in Game 1.
The Bucks originally listed Antetokounmpo as doubtful after he sat out Tuesday's practice. The two-time MVP was deemed unable to play.
Antetokounmpo played just 11 minutes in Game 1 before colliding with Kevin Love on a layup attempt near the basket and landing on his back. Testing revealed no structural damage took place, so Antetokounmpo's playing status was mostly a matter of pain tolerance.
"He took a hard fall," Bucks forward Jae Crowder told reporters Tuesday. "The floor is not going to apologize to you. It's one of those things once we get up in the air as athletes, but fortunately, it's not as bad as we thought. I'm glad about that for sure."
Antetokounmpo is the focal point of everything the Bucks do on both ends of the floor, so having him in the lineup—even at a diminished state—would have been a major boost to Milwaukee erasing a 1-0 deficit.
Instead, the Bucks look increasingly in danger of becoming the rare No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the playoffs.
