Despite a 134-123 win for the Bucks tonight against the Pacers, Milwaukee’s fans were worried after the game, as Giannis Antetokounmpo had returned to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his knee following a dunk in the third quarter.
GIANNIS WITH THE SPIN AND THE POSTER. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KtGawn8yUo
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 15, 2026
Therefore, after just 23 minutes of action, Antetokounmpo’s night was called off early as he finished the game with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists while going 11-22 from the field (50.0 FG%).
After the game, Doc Rivers guessed that Giannis Antetokounmpo had hyperextended his knee, but remained unsure if any imaging would be done tonight. Subsequently, Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to the media and gave a reassuring update on his knee.
“Yeah, I think I hyperextended my knee. I haven’t seen the clip. I want to see the clip. But it doesn’t matter; that’s pretty much it,” said Antetkounmpo during the postgame media scrum in the locker room.
“I’m just going to go back home, sleep, see how I feel tomorrow, and try to lift some weights. And if I have a little bit of discomfort, then I’ll go from there. But as of right now, I’m not really bothered by it.”
A reporter further asked about what his process of maturing has been over the years when he dealt with such injury scares before.
“Yeah, I’ve had injuries like this before. The moment that you kind of take a step away from the game and you don’t stay loose, and it’s going to, you know, get stiff, you’re going to start feeling pain. You’re not going to be able to move, and then other things might be impacted by that.”
“From your ankles, from your calf, from your hips, your body is not aligned. All right? Because you’re not running the same way. You’re not stepping the right way. Yeah, I had the conversation with Luke and Tommy, and again, I don’t think anything has changed.”
“I wanted to get back in the game, and you know, they looked at me, and they said, ‘No, it’s not worth it.’ When we were up 13, 15, I was like, ‘No, no way it’s not worth it.'”
“For me, every game is worth it. Every time I step on the floor, you know, I try not to take for granted. I appreciate, you know, just being out there, especially when I’m getting my rhythm back, and I feel good.”
“But again, that was the time that you got to look back, and you just got to listen. Just got to listen, man. And uh, I listen, but I’m not trying to make it bigger than what it is.”
“I feel like I could finish the game, but the training staff that was there thought it wasn’t smart for me to do so. So, I just have to trust them and go from there,” concluded Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks and the Bulls remain the only two teams in the East who are still competing to make it to the play-in tournament. The Bucks are currently 28-39 in the 11th seed of the East, 5.5 games behind the Hornets, who are in 10th (34-34).
Realistically, with 14-15 games left in the season, unless a miracle pushes the surging Hornets into a slump, they will not drop 5.5 games to allow the Bucks a chance to make it to the play-in tournament.
Therefore, the Bucks should have multiple reasons to consider shutting down Antetokounmpo’s season. Even the Bucks’ fans filled social media with claims that they hope the Bucks will shut down Antetokounmpo’s season instead of risking a serious injury.
But just as he suggested, Antetokounmpo will continue to fight until the door is fully shut on the playoffs and the last ray of hope for them has disappeared in the season.
Hence, the Bucks have a fighting but very unlikely chance of making it to the play-in tournament if Antetokounmpo continues playing at a high level for the rest of the season.
They are set to host the Cavaliers in Milwaukee on Tuesday, March 17, before heading for a four-game road trip beginning in Utah against the Jazz on Thursday, March 19. The Bucks’ fans will be on the edge of their seats for the rest of the season, as only Antetokounmpo pulling off a miracle can save their year.
