Antetokounmpo did not finish the game and will undergo an MRI for further evaluation. Speaking after the loss, he said the injury felt similar to a previous calf issue that sidelined him earlier in the season, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
“After the MRI they’ll tell me. Probably I popped something in my calf — the soleus or something,” Antetokounmpo said. “This is from my experience being around the NBA.”
The injury appeared to occur in the first quarter, sending him briefly to the locker room. He later returned with his right calf wrapped and attempted to play through the pain, but his movement became increasingly limited.
“I was feeling it most of the game but didn’t want to stop playing,” he said. “At the end, I couldn’t move anymore, so I had to stop.”
Head coach Doc Rivers admitted he was uneasy watching his star push through the injury.
“I asked our medical team five different times,” Rivers said. “I didn’t like what my eyes were seeing. Giannis was defiant about staying in.”
Antetokounmpo has struggled with recurring calf problems in recent years. In December, he missed three weeks with a right soleus strain — the same issue that kept him out of the 2024 playoffs.
“This calf keeps coming up and it’s concerning,” Rivers added. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m smart enough to know something keeps happening there. That’s troublesome for all of us.”
Despite the injury, Antetokounmpo logged 32 minutes, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. Milwaukee nearly mounted a comeback from a 23-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Giannis was visibly favoring his leg as the rally fell short.
“For me to stop playing and not be able to move — it was extremely painful,” he said. “I was just trying to help the team in any way I could. Even at a disadvantage, I try to be effective.”
His expected absence is a major blow for the Bucks, who have now lost five of their last six games. Milwaukee sits at 18–26, in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot. The team is 3–11 this season in games without Antetokounmpo.
“I’m going to work my butt off to come back,” Giannis said. “That will probably be end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully the team will be in a place where we can fight for the play-in or playoffs. I’ll take it day by day.”
The MRI results will provide a clearer timeline, but the Bucks now face another difficult stretch without their franchise leader.
