Wednesday 7:20 p.m. ET update - Antetokounmpo has officially been ruled out for Game 2. Even though he was upgraded to questionable, the Bucks are going to err on the side of caution and hold him out. Milwaukee could still win this game without the Greek Freak, and having him healthy for the future is more important than just this game.
Wednesday 1:30 p.m. ET update - Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded to questionable, suggesting he’s set to eventually be ready to suit up in this encounter. The Bucks have been notoriously shady with their injury designations, so this is actually a sign of progress on that front.
The Milwaukee Bucks have officially listed Giannis Antetokounmpo as doubtful for the team’s Game 2 contest against the Miami Heat Wednesday. Antetokounmpo suffered a lower back contusion in Game 1 and did try to play through the pain but ultimately had to come out. The Bucks are down 1-0 in the series and will try to avoid a 2-0 hole with their best player likely to be sidelined.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer did say earlier in the day the team was optimistic Antetokounmpo would be able to play but being listed as doubtful is tough to overcome. There’s a possibility he gets upgraded, and the Bucks have been notoriously poor at properly reporting injury changes. Perhaps that’s intentional, but we likely won’t know much on Antetokounmpo’s status until a few hours before the game.
If Antetokounmpo does ultimately sit out, look for Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis to have bigger roles in the offense. The Bucks have been able to win without Antetokounmpo plenty of times this season, and they’ll probably have to do that again Wednesday.