Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Milwaukee Bucks' 102-100 defeat to the Denver Nuggets with a right calf injury after playing through discomfort for most of the game. The two-time MVP expects to miss four to six weeks following an MRI on Saturday, sidelining him past the February 5 trade deadline. This marks another setback in a season plagued by calf issues for Antetokounmpo.
The injury occurred during Friday's game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where the Bucks fell to a depleted Nuggets squad missing five of their top six players. Antetokounmpo, already on a minutes restriction from a December right soleus strain that sidelined him for over three weeks, showed reduced explosiveness throughout the contest. He finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists on 4-of-8 field goals and 14-of-16 free throws, contributing to a late comeback that narrowed a 23-point deficit to one in the final seconds.
With 34 seconds remaining, Bucks coach Doc Rivers removed Antetokounmpo after observing his difficulty running the floor. "I didn't like what my eyes were seeing, personally," Rivers said. "Giannis was defiant about staying in... I just took him out." Antetokounmpo later explained, "I was feeling it the majority of the game, but did not want to stop playing. But at the end I could not move. I had to stop. For me to stop playing and not be able to move, it was extremely painful."
Antetokounmpo anticipates an MRI will confirm a strain, projecting a four-to-six-week recovery based on past experiences. He has a history of calf problems, including a left calf strain that cost him over two weeks and the All-Star Game last season, plus another that ended his 2024 playoffs early. "This calf keeps coming up and it's concerning," Rivers added.
The Bucks, now 18-26 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, trail the Atlanta Hawks by 2.5 games for the final Play-In spot. They are 3-11 without Antetokounmpo this season and have lost six of their last eight games. An extended absence complicates playoff hopes and trade plans, with speculation swirling around Antetokounmpo's future. ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted, "Giannis is the trade deadline... the entire league is watching Giannis."
For the 2026 draft, Milwaukee holds swap rights with the New Orleans Pelicans, positioning them for a potential top-10 pick if they continue struggling. Antetokounmpo expressed frustration but optimism: "I'm going to work my butt off to come back... Hopefully the team will be in a place that we can at least make the Play-In or the playoffs."