Giannis Antetokounmpo avoids serious injury, to miss last 3 games

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the remainder of the regular season, the team announced Wednesday, after an MRI confirmed a strain of his left soleus (calf).

Antetokounmpo’s left Achilles tendon is fully intact, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and his return to play will depend on how quickly his left calf strain heals.

The Bucks issued an update on Antetokounmpo’s status before their home game with the Orlando Magic, which they won 117-99. The release said he will “receive daily treatment and evaluation” but didn’t make any predictions on his potential availability for the start of the playoffs.

The Bucks finish the regular season by visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday and Orlando on Sunday. Their opening playoff game would take place either April 20 or April 21.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said the team did not have a timeline for Antetokounmpo’s return. Rivers was asked if he expects Antetokounmpo to be ready for the playoffs.

“Yeah, I’m hoping,” Rivers said during his pregame media availability Wednesday. “I don’t know. I’m just hoping.”

Rivers said it was unlikely that Antetokounmpo travels with the Bucks for their final road trip.

Antetokounmpo exited Tuesday night’s win over the Boston Celtics in the third quarter after crumpling to the floor while grabbing at his left leg. The two-time MVP’s teammates helped carry him off the court and toward the locker room.

After receiving word the noncontact injury was not to Antetokounmpo’s Achilles tendon, Rivers acknowledged that he and the organization were breathing a sigh of relief.

Antetokounmpo finishes the regular season having averaged 30.4 points on a career-best 61% shooting to go along with 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, also a career best, in 73 games. He is the first player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 60% shooting, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

“You know Giannis, he’s not happy,” Rivers said about Antetokounmpo’s mood. “Giannis wants to play every night, every minute. He hates coming out of games.”

In addition to Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee also was missing Khris Middleton as the team monitors his workload after a sprained left ankle caused him to sit out 16 straight games this season.

“We’re a deep team,” Damian Lillard said. “Obviously Giannis is the head of the snake. When he’s out there, we’re at our best. But we’ve got a lot of guys in our locker room. We’ve got vets, and I think tonight, we understood what the mission was. We knew that we were going to be a couple of guys down — Giannis and Khris. We knew how we had to play. We knew what kind of energy we needed to have. I thought we came out and played that way from the start.”