Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as doubtful for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns due to a hyperextended left knee that he suffered during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
Antetokounmpo was injured in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals and did not play the rest of the series.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said that Antetokounmpo was able to do some on-court work separately from the team’s afternoon practice but did not provide specific information on what kind of exercises and movements he was able to conduct without experiencing pain.
“He’s had a good day,” Budenholzer said. “He’s making good progress.”
“When Giannis is out there, a lot of times we can just give him the ball and let him go to work and let him orchestrate a lot of things out there,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said. “Without him, we have to do it by committee.”
“[I told him] don’t rush back in and put yourself at a greater risk for a greater injury,” Middleton said. “He’s a guy — he puts so much time and effort into his body to be the best version of himself also.”
“[I’m trying to] just continue to be aggressive,” Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. “No letdowns, because the way Giannis [plays], there are no letdowns. He’s continuously going to the basket, being aggressive on both ends of the floor. He does so much for this team that I just felt like losing that would be really hard for us.”
