The Milwaukee Bucks may have to hold their own another day as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as doubtful for Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers with a calf injury, the team announced Monday.
Helped along by 35 points from Damian Lillard, the Bucks didn’t seem to miss the dominant forward all too much in Game 1 as they came away with a 109-94 win on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo has been dealing with a left soleus strain for a couple of weeks now, as he suffered the injury on April 9 in a win over the Boston Celtics. He missed the final three games of the regular season and was given a similar doubtful designation for Game 1 of the playoffs before being ruled out just before the contest.
Head coach Doc Rivers said that despite him being absent on Monday, Antetokounmpo had actually been participating in workouts with the team, and was going through a “maintenance day” instead.
“He’s been on the court four days in a row, so I think today is a non-court day,” Rivers clarified after Antetokounmpo didn’t participate in practice.
The two-time MVP has been as stellar as ever for the Bucks, averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and a career-high 6.5 assists this season.
Game 2 of first-round series between the Bucks and Pacers will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday. They’ll then have two days of rest as they head to Indiana for Game 3 on Friday.
