Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo faces a potential extended period on the sidelines after sustaining a left groin strain during Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coach Doc Rivers offered no immediate update following the Bucks' 118-106 loss, confirming that Antetokounmpo would undergo an MRI scan on his left groin.
"We won’t know anything until tomorrow. It didn’t look great, I can tell you that," Rivers stated.
Antetokounmpo exited the court with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter, heading straight to the locker room after committing a foul.
He had contributed 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in just 13 minutes of play. Rivers suggested the injury might have originated earlier in the match.
"He grabbed his groin, I think in the first quarter, and I asked him right away. He said it was fine. Then I think he grabbed it again and said it was fine. And then on the third time, you know, that’s when it happened. But I think it happened before, in my opinion," Rivers explained.
The 14-year veteran, who leads the Eastern Conference and ranks fourth in the league with an average of 31.2 points per game, had already been listed as probable for the game due to left knee patellar tendinopathy.
The Bucks' season has seen a recent downturn, starting 4-1 but subsequently losing six of their last ten fixtures, including a 1-3 record during their recent four-game stretch over six days.
With a couple of days off before their next game against Philadelphia on Thursday, Rivers acknowledged the challenges ahead.
"We've got some work to do," he remarked. "There’s always a silver lining. I don’t know what it is. It doesn't look good right now.
“But we’re going to either find somebody or find something to run that will pay dividends later, and that’s the situation we’re about to go through."
