Adrain Wojnarowski announced today on X that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out for the first game of the NBA Playoffs. This is a crucial blow for the Bucks, who had an up-and-down second half to their season.
How Does Antetokounmpo’s Absence Affect The Milwaukee Bucks?
Milwaukee will play against their rivals, the Indiana Pacers, in round 1 of the playoffs. The Pacers bested the Bucks in their regular season series with a 4-1 record. Giannis averaged 42.2 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in the five games against Indiana. He also had his iconic 64-point game against the Pacers this season.
The Pacers found a way to throw Damian Lillard off his normal game in their five games. Dame averaged over 20 points per game in their five-game series but shot horribly. Damian Lillard shot an abysmal 32.4% from the field and an even worse 26.5 from the 3-point arc. In order for the Bucks to win this series, they must rely on better shooting from Lillard.
Milwaukee’s Newest Concern From The Pacers
The timetable on the Greek Freak’s return is questionable, but so is Pascal Siakam’s presence on Indiana against the Bucks. Indiana and Milwaukee played all five games against each other before the Pascal Siakam trade.
Pascal averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season on the Pacers. In the regular season, including his time at Toronto in the first half, he averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
It is unknown how Pascal will play against Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether we’ll see Giannis play again this year in the NBA Playoffs. The Bucks need to rely on Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis to shut down Indiana’s stretch forward.
More must-reads: