Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered another injury over the weekend, this time a hyperextended knee in a win over the Pacers. On Tuesday, before Milwaukee lost to the Cavaliers, news broke that the Bucks superstar was expected to miss at least a week with the injury. Health has been a recurring issue for Antetokounmpo throughout this season. This next stretch will be the third extended absence of the year for the Greek superstar after two calf strains and various other bumps and bruises kept him out of 31 games prior to this new injury.
It is, effectively, a death blow to the team’s already-slim playoff chances. As of today 6 1/2 games separate Milwaukee from the 10th-seeded Hornets for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference. With only 14 games remaining in the year it’s all but impossible for the 28–40 Bucks to bridge that gap and qualify for postseason play, which was true before Antetokounmpo got hurt. Now the franchise must embark upon a four-game stretch (at least) without its best player—a stretch that includes three games against West playoff teams.
