Giannis Antetokounmpo will officially miss Thursday night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Bucks announced on Twitter.
The two-time MVP had been listed as doubtful after hyperextending his left knee in an awkward fall Tuesday night. Tests conducted Wednesday showed no structural damage to the knee, but a timetable hasn’t been put forth for his return.
“When you talk about the range of possibilities, I think where this has landed has to be looked at as a positive,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told Eric Nemh of The Athletic. “It’s still a really difficult fall. … It’s part of sport. It’s part of the playoffs. We’ll manage it both from a Giannis perspective, from a team’s perspective, and we’ve just got to keep moving, get ready for Game 5.”
Nehm also examines how Milwaukee fared during the regular season when Antetokounmpo didn’t play. He notes that the Bucks went 6-2 when he wasn’t active, but the rest of the rotation was available.
Budenholzer hasn’t announced who will take Antetokounmpo’s place in the starting lineup and indicated that a decision may not come until shortly before the game, Nehm tweets.
“At some point, you’ve got to pull the trigger and make a decision,” Budenholzer said. "We’ll probably do that and then we’ll probably tell you we don’t know who we are playing and planning on starting and then at tip-off or whatever, you guys will get it.”
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