Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return to the basketball court for the first time in nearly six weeks unfortunately brought only a momentary roar back to Fiserv Forum on March 2.
In the opening minutes of the game against the Boston Celtics, Antetokounmpo’s first since re-injuring his right calf Jan. 23, the Milwaukee Bucks scored the game’s first three baskets. The rest of the night was Boston’s, as the Bucks would score only 74 more points over the final 46 minutes of the game in a 108-81 loss.
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So, it was difficult for Antetokounmpo or the team to really celebrate his return, even if they’ve long been looking forward to it.
“It’s good to see big fella out there,” Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. said in a quiet locker room after the game. “Probably was a little rusty, haven’t played in a minute. Good to see him back on the floor doing what he love to do. It’s always hard with injuries, being away from the game and not being able to do what you love to do, which is hoop. So good to see him back on the floor, win or lose.”
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) scores against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) scores against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) dribbles past Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) toward the Milwaukee Bucks’ basket in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics scores against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) takes a shot against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) and Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) fight for the ball in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) runs into Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) as he receives a pass from Milwaukee Bucks guard Cam Thomas (24) in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) takes a shot against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) drives toward the Milwaukee Bucks’ basket in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) passes the ball to Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20) in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) passes the ball through Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) and Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) tries to steal the ball from Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell yells at referee JD Ralls (94) about a travel call in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics players help Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) up off the ground in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) and Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh (27) vie for the ball after Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) takes a shot in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) takes a jump shot in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bango rides a hoverboard and high fives fans in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng (21) tries to block Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) from taking a shot in the first half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is looks for a pass to his teammate as Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) guard him in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) passes the ball past Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) to his teammate in the second half at Fiserv Forum on the evening of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Injured Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Boston Celtics 108-81 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s home game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on the afternoon of March 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Antetokounmpo was similarly subdued, even if the throughline in his postgame messaging was how happy he was just to be playing. He logged just under 26 minutes against the Celtics, scoring 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
Antetokounmpo is coming off a stretch of 15 missed games, which followed eight missed games from Dec. 3-26 with a strained right calf and four missed games with a strained left adductor Nov. 20-26. He also exited games early with injuries on Nov. 17, Dec. 3 and the final seconds of his last game on Jan. 23.
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“Feel good, feel a little bit rusty, but obviously something new in my career being out for such a long time and not just one time, multiple times into a season,” Antetokounmpo said. “Definitely disrupt my rhythm, but at the end of the day, I just try to take it day-by-day, game-by-game. I’m happy that I’m back. I’m just happy that I’m on the court. It doesn’t matter if I play 18 minutes, 20 minutes, 22, whatever, I’m just happy that I’m out there. I’m just in a mindset where I try not to take nothing for granted.
“Obviously, did not play well tonight, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy that I’m out there being able to help my teammates in any way that I can and just do what I love, which is play basketball.”
Antetokounmpo knocked on the covered wood table in front of him when talking about this lengthier rehab process, as it was the second serious strain of his calf and the larger fear of an Achilles injury obviously loomed over the process.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the team’s game March 2 against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo acknowledged several times that, as an older player, his returns from injury may need to take longer. And, his desire to come back sooner from his previous muscle strains may have only hurt him this year than helped.
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The last time Antetokounmpo was at full capacity was Nov. 15, before he strained his left adductor on Nov. 17.
In all, he played just 12 games without being injured, recovering from an injury, or on a minute restriction.
“If you’re not able to take care of your soft tissue injuries, they can linger, and I think that’s what has happened this year,” Antetokounmpo acknowledged. “I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with like a deficit.”
But against Boston, Antetokounmpo showed some explosion, particularly with three dunks.
“This is the first time I feel like I have a little bit in my tank, that I’m not risking anything,” he said. “So, I’m happy that I’m here.”
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Perhaps that’s why he didn’t want to get too deep into commenting on the state of the team.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scores against the Celtics in their game March 2 at Fiserv Forum.
Unlike his return from his first calf injury in Chicago on Dec. 27, when he forcefully declared the team needed to continue forge a strong identity of playing hard to the final buzzer, he shied away from making any declarations when asked what he can do to help the team rediscover it over the final stretch.
He pondered the question for about seven seconds before saying, “I’ll be honest with you. I try as much as I can when I do this stuff to answer as honest as I can.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get back in a rhythm. Being able to not play for six weeks, the second time I actually played against contact was today, and I feel like the more I’m in shape, the more I have my wind under me, the more I can be able to help my team – not just like be a better basketball player, just be more vocal, right? The more you’re trying to figure out yourself and spots and try to figure out how you play with your teammates, the more you kind of cave into yourself and you’re not as vocal, you do not control the game as much. I think right now I’m at that place, I’m trying to figure out myself.
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“I’m trying to figure out how can I fit in, into the team, which a lot of people might say you should not try to fit in, you should just go out there and play. But, no, it’s the reality. I’m trying to figure out how to play with Scoot [Kevin Porter Jr.], Ryan [Rollins], Cam [Thomas], Ous[mane Dieng] and all these guys. Maybe this is the first time in my career that they’ve got to help me find my identity and not vice versa.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo happy to be back playing after injuries