Giannis Antetokounmpo exits Bucks-Celtics game with non-contact leg injury
With 3 minutes, 37 seconds to go in the third quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks' 104-91 win against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo suddenly fell to the court without contact after inbounding the ball to Damian Lillard following a Celtics basket.
He immediately grabbed at the back of his lower, left leg.
Late in the fourth quarter the Bucks said that Antetokounmpo suffered a "left soleus strain" and was ruled out for the game.
The soleus muscle part of the calf, along with the gastrocnemius muscle. The Cleveland Clinic notes the soleus runs from below the knee to the ankle and helps a person stand up straight.
ESPN reported that an MRI after the game determined Antetokounmpo’s Achilles tendon is fully intact, and his timetable to return will depend on how quickly his calf strain heals.
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Antetokounmpo sat for a moment and then tried to get up on his own, but needed help – and in that moment he reached down to his lower left leg. Once he got to his feet he tried to walk but was clearly unsteady, and his teammates rushed to support him.
After a few steps, he was able to walk off the court and directly to the locker room under his own power.
The TNT broadcast crew positioned in the hallway by the Bucks locker room showed him limping into it.
Antetokounmpo has been dealing with pain in his left hamstring since March 10 and had missed three games with that injury. He had surgery on his left knee in the offseason and has also dealt with soreness in his left calf muscle and Achilles tendon at various points this season.
He exited the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 29 minutes.