Celtics fall to Bucks as Giannis Antetekounmpo’s injury looms large over East
Even Doc Rivers couldn’t help but cast some doubt. He knows his Bucks have struggled to stay healthy this season. And before a rare game Tuesday in which his top three of Giannis Antetekounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton were available, Rivers was optimistic about what his squad can look like at full strength but treaded carefully.
“Let’s see if we can get through the game,” Rivers said sheepishly.
Then, they didn’t. Late in the third quarter on Tuesday, Antetekounmpo crumbled to the ground while jogging up the court. The Bucks superstar left the game with a left calf strain and didn’t return. The Bucks handled the Celtics anyway, 104-91, at Fiserv Forum but the game marked something of a representation of how this season has unfolded atop the Eastern Conference.
As the Celtics – who have long clinched the top seed in the East – coast through the end of the regular season this week, it’s fair to ponder if they will receive a real threat in their path to the NBA Finals. The Bucks, though they now sit 14 games back of the Celtics, should be that team. Health, poor defense and a midseason coaching change have stood in their way. But Tuesday offered a reminder of how formidable the Bucks can be, that they can still be a challenger to the Celtics.
But they have to be healthy, and they certainly need Antetekounmpo, who left the arena after suffering his non-contact injury to get an MRI. Rivers described the concern level as “high” as the Bucks wait for the results that could change the course of their season.
