Antetokounmpo out Friday with ankle injury; return date unclear
Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo will sit out Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls due to his lingering ankle injury.
"He's out tonight," said interim head coach Joe Prunty, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "And we'll evaluate him moving forward."
Antetokounmpo exited Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers after appearing to tweak his right ankle while jostling for space in the first half:
Here’s where it happened. Hopefully they’ll tape it and he’ll be good.
— Brew Hoop (@brewhoop) March 22, 2018
Also, notice that despite being frustrated and in pain, he takes the time to high five all three fans. He’s the best. pic.twitter.com/uxy5ls3czM
He has had to do a lot of heavy lifting this season, averaging 27.3 points, 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field.
But despite Antetokounmpo's statistical dominance, the team still sits on an uninspiring 37-34 record and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with 11 games to play. Fortunately for Bucks fans, with the ninth-seed Detroit Pistons 5.5 games behind them in the standings, the chances of falling out of playoff contention are low, even with their franchise player on ice.