Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a low-grade left groin strain and will miss one to two weeks, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.
It’s a positive outcome after Antetokounmpo exited Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the injury. Bucks coach Doc Rivers called the injury “good news” in an interview with Bucks+.
Rivers said Antetokounmpo began favoring his groin as early as the first quarter in Monday’s game and grabbed his left groin multiple times before he exited. With 3:03 remaining in the second quarter, Antetokounmpo hobbled up the court on defense before committing a foul and heading toward the Bucks’ locker room.
Antetokounmpo has enjoyed one of the best starts of his career as he’s averaged 32.6 points on 63% shooting with 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists in his first 12 games this season. The Bucks have also been relying on their superstar even more heavily — his 36.4% usage rate ranked second in the NBA entering Monday and was Antetokounmpo’s highest usage since the 2022-23 season.
With their superstar absent, the Bucks were outscored 59-49 and shot just 38.6% after halftime against the Cavs as they dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Bucks fell to 8-7 with the loss and they are 1-1 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season.
ESPN’s Jamal Collier contributed to this report.
