Source: Stacy Revere / Getty
The NBA Finals is one of the most nail-biting times of the season for sports fans because it’s where teams go to die.
It may be from poor play or missed key shots, but the most heart-wrenching is when a player suffers an injury. And we may only be in the first round of the playoffs, but Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is already wincing in pain.
Antetokounmpo was driving into the paint to attack the rim when Miami’s Kevin Love slid over to attempt to take a charge from him. However, the contact was enough to alter Antetokounmpo’s momentum, and he crashed to the ground directly on his lower back.
Love was called for the block as Antetokounmpo lay on the ground for several seconds before his teammates helped him to his feet. He was able to take his free throws and attempted to play through the injury but ultimately left the game.
Then in the second quarter, he returned after disappearing into the locker room to get his back wrapped. However, he only lasted a minute into the game before getting pulled.
The Bucks then ruled him out for the remainder of Game 1 with a lower back contusion. Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks got steamrolled and lost 130-117 to the Miami Heat.
Thankfully, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer says that Antetokounmpo’s x-ray came back clear, but they’ll be monitoring him to see how the injury progresses.
“He just wasn’t moving [well]. Didn’t look comfortable, confident. It felt like the right thing,” Budenholzer told ESPN after the game. “We have to wait and see what the doctors say. Most importantly, what Giannis says. Certainly, we’ve been blessed with him being incredibly resilient and quick to heal, but you’ve just got to take it day by day and see how he’s doing and see how he feels.”
See how Twitter reacted to the Greek Freak’s injury below:
