The Bucks lost 118-106 in their visit to Cleveland, but that was by far not the worst news they received. Giannis Antettokounmpo had to leave the game when he had been on the court for 13 minutes and had 14 points. He suffered a left groin strain and will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. “It didn’t look good, I can assure you of that,” coach Doc Rivers said.
The Greek colossus began to suffer discomfort in the first quarter and took his hand to his groin several times before leaving the game definitively with 3:03 minutes to go before the break. Already half-lame after an action in which he tried to overcome Jarrett Allen and ended up in a bad position, he committed a foul and went straight to the locker room. After being examined, the Bucks ruled him out of playing in the second half.
“He hit him in the first quarter, I asked him and he said nothing was wrong. He hit him again and said nothing was wrong. The third time was when it happened, but in my opinion I think it happened before,” Rivers said. The good news is that Antetokounmpo left the Rocket Arena without crutches, without leaning on anyone and without limping.
NBA All-NBA First Team figures
Losing Antetokounmpo would be a huge blow for a Bucks team that is now 8-7 with this loss. Their star was averaging 32.6 points on 63% shooting from the field, 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. Figures worthy of an MVP quintet member.
Donovan Mitchell, with 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, was the leader of the Cavaliers. He and Antetokounmpo, the two leading scorers in the Eastern Conference, were pitted against each other, but the duel did not last long. The Cleveland star scored 25 points in the first half, which ended without his rival on the court. Despite this, the Bucks held on until the score was tied at 88. Then, a 12-3 run opened the gap for the home team, which went on to win by 14 in the final moments.
Read the full article here
