Bucks' Mike Budenholzer Doesn't Regret Limiting Giannis' Minutes in Game 3 Loss

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo played only 35 minutes during his team's 115-100 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, which raised glaring questions about his usage.

Although Antetokounmpo tweaked his right ankle during the first quarter of Friday's loss, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that it wasn't why he limited the Greek Freak's playing time, per Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Antetokounmpo said postgame that his ankle wasn't bothering him, but Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported seeing the Bucks star walking out of the arena with a severe limp.

The Bucks are down 3-0 to the Heat after being outscored 40-13 in the fourth quarter Friday.

In addition to Antetokounmpo's questionable usage, All-Star forward Khris Middleton played only 36 minutes. Eric Nehm of The Athletic asked Budenholzer why he didn't play the duo more:

Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot only 7-of-21 and missed all seven of his three-pointers. Middleton had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and seven assists.

It's unclear how much better the Bucks would have been if Antetokounmpo and Middleton played more Friday. Antetokounmpo finished as a minus-13, while Middleton was a minus-seven.

The Bucks' season is now on the line when they play Game 4 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Miami will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors with a victory.