of milwaukee bucks The two-time MVP is bracing himself to miss out when postseason play begins this weekend.
Giannis Antetokounmpo He is expected to be out at the start of the first round series against the Bucks. indiana pacers ESPN reported on Tuesday that the cause was a strained muscle in his left calf. The eight-time All-Star forward could return later in the series, and the team is optimistic he could be able to play by then if he continues treatment, ESPN added in the report.
Antetokounmpo injured his calf in the game the Bucks won. boston celtics On April 9, he fell while running up to the court to go on the offensive. Antetokounmpo, who grabbed his calf, was treated and left the game. A subsequent MRI scan revealed that although his Achilles tendon had been spared, he had sustained an injury to his soleus muscle. The Athletic reported.
As a result, the Bucks will be without Antetokounmpo for the final three games of the regular season. Milwaukee fell from the 2nd seed to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference with 1 win and 2 losses.
As of Monday, DraftKings Sportsbook has odds of -180 for the Bucks to beat the Pacers in the playoff opener. As of Tuesday afternoon, those odds have grown to -135. The odds for the Pacers to beat the Bucks have been shortened from +145 to +110.
Additionally, the shortest odds for the exact outcome of the series are Bucks 4-3 (+290), while the second-shortest odds are Pacers 4-2 (+400).
On Monday, the Bucks won 4-1 and the Bucks won 4-2 tied for the second-shortest odds (+475). The Pacers, who won 4-2, had the fourth-shortest odds at +550.
Antetokounmpo’s injury was just one of a few negative developments for the Bucks in the final week of the regular season.In the last 11 games, they had 3 wins and 8 losses, including losses to lower-ranked teams. washington wizards, memphis grizzlies and toronto raptors. They’ve gone 17-19 since Doc Rivers became head coach.
Still, Antetokounmpo had a season worthy of being an MVP candidate. He scored 30.4 points per game on a career-high 61% from the field and added 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
However, the Bucks face the possibility of another upset in the postseason opener. After losing to miami heat The Bucks, who were the No. 1 seed last year, will face the No. 6 seed Pacers, who have won four of the five games the two teams played this season.
