With less than a month remaining in the NBA\u2019s regular season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are at odds over whether the two-time league MVP should finish out Milwaukee\u2019s 14 remaining games.<\/p>\n
The Bucks, per league sources, have made it clear to their franchise centerpiece that it would be in their shared interest for him to sit out with the team currently 6 1\/2 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final Play-In Tournament spot. While injuries have forced Antetokounmpo to miss 32 games already this season, league sources tell The Athletic the 10-time All-Star forward has informed the team he has no desire to cut his season short.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo, who has been the subject of fervent trade rumors<\/a> all season but remained with the team<\/a> at last month\u2019s deadline, has been on a minutes limit regularly this season, as he has worked his way through injuries to his calf, groin, ankle and knee. He has appeared in 36 games and averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 28.9 minutes.<\/p>\n When reached for comment, a team source noted that Antetokounmpo is still injured and not cleared to play at this time, and an update will be sent when that changes.<\/p>\n The latest injury for Antetokounmpo is a left knee hyperextension suffered in the third quarter of the Bucks\u2019 134-123 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Following that game, Antetokounmpo told reporters that he believed he was fine<\/a>, thought he could have returned to the game and would not need further imaging on the injury. Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters before Tuesday\u2019s game that Milwaukee had its star forward go through an MRI on Monday to be certain.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news was it was a really good image, so there was no damage. Nothing,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cIt was really just good news. But I don\u2019t know the next part (about a timeline for his return).\u201d<\/p>\n Even with a clean MRI on his left knee, the Bucks declared Antetokounmpo out for Tuesday\u2019s 123-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers two hours before tipoff. While Antetokounmpo was already listed as questionable on the injury report with a left ankle sprain, Milwaukee updated its injury report to say he was out with a bone bruise caused by a left knee hyperextension.<\/p>\n After announcing that Antetokounmpo would miss Tuesday\u2019s game, Rivers was asked when he thought the risk of the Bucks\u2019 best player suffering another injury would outweigh the reward of putting him on the floor with a postseason appearance looking far-fetched.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cI don\u2019t have the answer, but it\u2019s a very good question. \u2026 Honestly, that\u2019s all I have, but it\u2019s a good question. It\u2019s something we will talk about, but that\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bucks leadership has already approached Antetokounmpo about the idea of not playing another game for Milwaukee this season, which the franchise\u2019s all-time leading scorer firmly rebuffed, league sources told The Athletic Tuesday.<\/p>\n