Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks have been struggling in the playoffs against the Miami Heat, and now there are questions about whether the reigning NBA MVP is playing hurt.
During the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series between the teams on Friday, the TNT announcers wondered whether Antetokounmpo was dealing with an injury.
TNT showed a video of Antetokounmpo rolling his right ankle midway through the first quarter. Then they noted the way Giannis grimaced after coming down from a dunk in the fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo’s minutes have been a topic of conversation since the team fell behind 2-0 in the series. He said he would play more minutes if his coach wanted him to. In Game 3, he played fewer minutes than Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, which makes little sense, other than the injury explanation.
With his team down 2-0, you would figure Antetokounmpo would play as many minutes as possible, yet he was sitting during important minutes in the fourth quarter. The results of the series — and Antetokounmpo’s minutes — are nothing short of surprising.
