Report reveals Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status for Game 1 against Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks-Indiana Pacers first-round playoff series will be one of the more highly anticipated ones this year, but Giannis Antetokounmpo probably will not be ready for the start of it.

Shams Charania of The Athletic shared an update Monday on the status of the injured Bucks forward Antetokounmpo heading into the Pacers series. Charania reports that Antetokounmpo, though he is currently rehabbing daily, is facing some real doubt for Game 1 against Indiana and is “very much up in the air.”

The former MVP Antetokounmpo, 29, missed the final three games of the regular season for the Bucks after suffering a worrying non-contact injury during a game against Boston on April 9. Milwaukee later characterized Antetokounmpo’s injury as a left soleus strain.

The young, high-tempo Pacers are already a poor matchup for the Bucks as is. They beat Milwaukee in four out of five games during the regular season (in the one game the Bucks did win, they needed a Herculean performance from Antetokounmpo … plus some pettiness). 

While it helps a bit that the series does not start for another six days (on Sunday, April 21), it sounds like Antetokounmpo is still a long shot to be ready by then.