Milwaukee Bucks of America ace, Giannis Adetokunbo (Antetokounmpo) has been cast in doubt for any further game this season, following a freak injury he copped in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta Hawks.
Things appeared to be going smooth and according to plan, until the Nigerian-born Greece international needed help off the court, after suffering a hyperextended knee during Tuesday’s defeat, as his knee bent the wrong way.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the two-time NBA most valuable player sustained the injury in the third quarter of the game, after jumping to defend a Hawks alley-oop.
When he landed, his left knee buckled backward and he fell to the floor in pain, following which he got immediate medical checks, but did not return to the game and his status for the next encounter was not immediately clear.
‘The Greek Freak’ walked back into the tunnel shortly before the Bucks announced the diagnosis of a hyperextension that ruled him of further action in the game, which he entered averaging 29.2 points, 13 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the post-season.
While relying heavily on Antetokounmpo, who is obviously key to Milwaukee’s hopes of winning an NBA title, The Bucks entered the night with a 2-1 series lead facing a Hawks team missing star guard Trae Young, who suffered a bone bruise on his right foot in Game 3.
Following a slow start to the game, Antetokounmpo had scored eight of his 14 points in the opening minutes of the second half. Following the jam by Capela, The Hawks led 62-52 when the Bucks’ star left the game.
Atlanta held a 62-52 lead when Antetokounmpo left the game and The Hawks went on to secure a 110-88 win to tie the series at 2-2, heading into Game 5 in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Antetokounmpo’s status for that game and beyond are in doubt, but he was expected to undergo further testing to further assess his crocked knee on Wednesday.
Antetokounmpo was defending a jam by Hawks center Clint Capela with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter when his left knee appeared to buckle and he fell to the floor in obvious pain, grimacing and clutching his knee.
The Nigerian-born star remained down for several minutes before rising and slowly walking to the locker room, supported by his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and a staff member, as he left the court.
The back-to-back MVP returned to the bench briefly before again heading to the locker room after the Hawks blew open the game by extending their lead to 20 points. Soon after, the Bucks announced he would not return.
Bucks’ coach, Mike Budenholzer declined to speculate on Antetokounmpo’s prognosis, but he retorted: “We’ll see how he is. I don’t want to speak for him.
“I know historically it’s impossible to keep him off the court, keep him away from his teammates. My guess is he wants to play and, if not, let his teammates know that he’s there for them.
“We’ll take everything as it comes. We’ll evaluate it. We’ve got a heck of a team, a heck of a roster. The guys will prepare. They’ll be ready.”
