Giannis injury and trade talks leave Bucks facing uncertain path in Milwaukee

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s nighttime lasted lone a fewer minutes successful Milwaukee connected Wednesday. After a jump-pass assistance to AJ Green, helium collapsed portion retreating connected defense, grabbed astatine his close calf and needed assistance to the bench. He was soon ruled retired with a calf strain, with the squad stressing that it is not an Achilles injury.

Head manager Doc Rivers aboriginal said helium believed Antetokounmpo had been bumped by Pistons halfway Jalen Duren earlier losing balance. The Bucks inactive scraped retired a 113-109 triumph implicit Detroit, yet the temper successful Fiserv Forum was acold from celebratory. This radical has already gone 2-5 without him this season, and its onslaught falls from an elite 126.9 points per 100 possessions with him to 107.7 erstwhile helium sits.

Contract timepiece ticks arsenic losses heap up

The wounded comes arsenic Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are successful talks with the Bucks astir his future. Sources person framed the discussions astir whether his “best acceptable is staying oregon a determination elsewhere,” with clarity expected earlier the Feb. 5 commercialized deadline. One root described the existent temper arsenic "the penning is connected the wall" unless the play turns sharply.

Rivers has pushed back, insisting "there's been nary conversations" and that Antetokounmpo "loves Milwaukee and helium loves the Bucks." He added, "Giannis has ne'er asked to beryllium traded. Ever. I can't marque that much clear," Rivers said. "... We're trying to triumph games. Listen, we've mislaid -- the crushed this is retired is due to the fact that we're not playing well. ... We're not playing well. We had a pugnacious nonaccomplishment the different nighttime and truthful present this is the taxable matter. It's nary much existent than it was this summer."

Antetokounmpo, who erstwhile admitted it would beryllium "human to alteration his mind," already explored the New York Knicks arsenic a imaginable destination implicit the summer. Another dilatory agelong has followed, prompting a squad gathering connected Wednesday. "There was mode much lows than highs implicit the past mates of weeks," Bobby Portis said. "So decidedly knowing that contiguous was a immense game, wanted to travel retired present and person everybody connected the aforesaid page. Lots going on, a batch of chatter, a batch of media chatter, immoderate it is. So, conscionable trying to support guys caput right. Keep guys together."