For the second time in a row, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not in uniform. The Greek had already missed the game against Phoenix and, on Wednesday evening, he was not on the trip to Boston, where his teammates tried everything until the end but lost.
Nothing serious however since the MVP of the 2021 Finals is injured in the hamstring. But one month before the playoffs and while the race for first place in the Eastern Conference is over, since the Celtics are too far away, there was no reason to take risks.
“He feels good, but is not at his best”, summed up Doc Rivers. “We don’t play with fire with this, nor in these moments. If we had asked Giannis, no doubt he would have played. But you have to know how to say no, to let him get better. He didn't need to travel, we were only going for a day. We left one of our coaches with him to work. He worked, not intensely, but did some shooting and other things. It's better like that. »
Twenty matches in a row without the “Big Three”
While they won without Giannis Antetokounmpo against the Suns, the Bucks this time did not manage to do it again among the league leaders.
“It’s unfortunate, but we’re used to it”concedes Khris Middleton. “We did a good job of playing our game and it goes with our game against Phoenix. We have to continue to play well and, when Giannis comes back, do the same. »
It is precisely because the winger is returning from injury that the situation is frustrating for Milwaukee and Doc Rivers. Between each other's absences, the “Big Three”, with Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, have not played together since February 3. That’s twenty matches in a row. Not ideal for preparing for the playoffs.
“It’s obvious that we would like to have all three but that’s not the case, so we shouldn’t dwell on that. I stopped worrying about that a while ago,” explains the coach. “We have the shootarounds. We actually have a lot of training at the moment, for a team at this stage of the season, with these two-day periods. But again, you have to hope the guys are healthy to train. We can have training days where no one can train, so that doesn't help either. It would be better if we had everyone on the floor and in training, but again, it is what it is. We will find solutions. »
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 63 | 32 | 55.3 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 31.1 |
| 2023-24 | MIL | 64 | 35 | 61.6 | 29.2 | 66.5 | 2.5 | 8.7 | 11.2 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 30.8 |
| Total | 783 | 33 | 54.5 | 28.7 | 70.3 | 1.8 | 7.9 | 9.7 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 23.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
