Bucks to ‘monitor’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo after back contusion

Giannis Antetokounmpo. | file

Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the visiting Miami Heat for good in the second quarter Sunday after sustaining a lower back contusion.

With Antetokounmpo unavailable for much of the game, the top-seeded Bucks fell to the eighth-seeded Heat 130-117.

“There was an X-ray that was clear here,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said, “so we’ll monitor him, see how he does (Monday).”

Game 2 of the series is Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo, a finalist for the league MVP award, fell to the floor hard after being fouled with 4:13 left in the first quarter. He made one of the two ensuing free throws and stayed in the game before going to the locker room with 1:46 left in the period.

He re-entered the game with 9:56 left in the second quarter, but returned to the locker room less than two minutes later. Later in the quarter, Milwaukee announced that he would not return for the rest of the night.

“He just wasn’t moving, didn’t look comfortable, confident, so it felt like the right thing” to remove him, Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP winner, had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

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