Report: Bucks expect Giannis to miss start of Pacers series

The Milwaukee Bucks anticipate that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined for the start of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers due to his calf strain, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The team is reportedly hopeful the two-time MVP will be able to return later in the series.

"He's doing well ... He's walking around and looks good," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Tuesday.

Antetokounmpo is reportedly receiving consistent treatment and has not played since going down with a non-contact injury on April 9 against the Boston Celtics. He missed the team's final three games of the regular season, in which the Bucks went 1-2. Milwaukee went 4-5 in nine games without the forward in 2023-24.

The first-round series against Indiana opens with Game 1 on Sunday, but no other dates have been determined. The Pacers present a difficult matchup for the Bucks; Indiana went 4-1 against Milwaukee during the regular season - the only team to defeat the Bucks four times this year.