Shams: Giannis Required IV Fluids in Return from Injury After Bucks vs. Heat Game 4

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo looked good in his return from a back injury, recording a triple-double in Monday's Game 4 loss to the Miami Heat.

On Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium illustrated how hard Antetokounmpo pushed himself to be on the floor.

"He's clearly still dealing with this lower back issue, and he had to play over 38 minutes last night, and those are all reasons why I'm told that post-game Giannis needed IV fluids in Miami," Charania said.

The two-time NBA MVP was making his return after being forced to miss the previous two games because of a lower back contusion suffered in the first half of Game 1. Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in Monday's 119-114 loss. He was out-dueled by Heat star Jimmy Butler, who dropped a franchise playoff-record 56 points to help Miami take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

"Now the onus and the pressure is on Mike Budenholzer and this coaching staff because this roster is the same, it's been consistent the last couple of years ever since they won that 2021 NBA championship," Charania pointed out. "But what adjustments can this coaching staff make going into Game 5?"

The Bucks surprisingly find themselves on the brink of elimination after finishing with the best record in the league this past season at 58-24. The series is heading back to Milwaukee for Wednesday's Game 5, which bodes well for the team since it had a 32-9 home record during the regular season.

Antetokounmpo will surely be motivated to help the Bucks avoid a shocking early playoff exit, and they will need their star to be at his absolute best if they hope to snatch back the momentum in this series.