Should Bucks shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo?

The Milwaukee Bucks need a lot to go right to even make the play-in tournament. Wednesday night, a lot of things went wrong.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points in his second game back but the Bucks' offense collapsed in the second half of a 131-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was Atlanta's fifth straight win and Milwaukee's fourth straight loss, putting the Bucks' play-in hopes on life support.

Milwaukee Bucks have too much ground to make up

Closing a five-game gap with 21 games to play is a tough task in the NBA. That's what the Bucks are facing to catch the Hawks or the Charlotte Hornets, both 32-31 to Milwaukee's 26-35, though the Bucks have two extra games remaining.

Antetokounmpo returned after missing five weeks with an injury, but it hasn't changed the fortunes of his team. While the Bucks put up 38 points in the first quarter and went 6-for-9 on threes, they shot a brutal 2-for-20 from deep after halftime and were outscored by 31 points after the first.

The loss especially stings because it was a direct chance to gain ground on the surging Hawks, who have been exploiting a soft recent schedule to gain ground in the standings. Milwaukee gets another shot at the Hawks March 14, but they can't be encouraged after Wednesday's result.

It's almost time to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks still have a dream of advancing from the play-in, but the Hawks game showed that even with Giannis, they're simply not a good team. They don't block shots or force turnovers, with Thanasis Antetokounmpo getting one of the Bucks' two blocks in garbage time. 

Milwaukee gets few free throws besides those from the Greek Freak and it rebounds poorly, so when three-pointers aren't following, the Bucks simply don't have a Plan B. They're so far back that even their best-case scenario would require two road wins to get the eight seed.

Antetokounmpo wants to compete, but it's getting to the point where the Bucks have nothing to compete for this season. Whether he requests a trade or not in the offseason, the Bucks are better off protecting their superstar, injured twice this season, rather than chasing a play-in dream that just became far less likely. That's for the sake of his health and for whatever return the Bucks would get from moving him.

The meaningful part of the Bucks' season is perilously close to ending. If they lose to the Hawks again in 10 days, it's probably over. Once that happens, it could be the last time we see Antetokounmpo in a Bucks uniform this season — or ever.