{"id":122986,"date":"2025-02-09T13:15:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T18:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=122986"},"modified":"2025-02-09T13:15:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T18:15:59","slug":"giannis-antetokounmpo-miss-all-star-game-calf-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/09\/giannis-antetokounmpo-miss-all-star-game-calf-injury\/","title":{"rendered":"Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss All-Star Game Due to Calf Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Milwaukee Bucks superstar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> will miss the NBA All-Star Game due to a left calf strain, according to ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania. His absence means he will not participate in his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/31\/bucks-star-earns-ninth-all-star-selection\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">ninth consecutive All-Star appearance<\/a>, disappointing Bucks fans and the league.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined through the next week due to a mild calf strain and will miss the NBA All-Star Game next Sunday, sources tell ESPN. Antetokounmpo, out since Feb. 2, is expected to return to action shortly after All-Star break. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wl8Lu6yWNq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/wl8Lu6yWNq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1888628179826512140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss All-Star Game Due to Calf Injury<\/h2>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Antetokounmpo has not played since February 2 and remains out for Milwaukee\u2019s upcoming games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves. This extends his absence to at least six straight contests. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/43764657\/sources-giannis-antetokounmpo-ruled-all-star-break\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reports suggest<\/a> the two-time MVP expects to return shortly after the break, with the Bucks&#8217; first game back scheduled for February 20 against the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">His absence comes at a crucial time for the Bucks, who have dropped six of their last eight games and fallen to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Despite the team&#8217;s struggles, Antetokounmpo continues to dominate this season, averaging 31.8 points per game (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/leaders?SeasonType=Regular%20Season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second in the NBA<\/a> behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>) on 60.8% shooting, along with 12.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. His presence on both ends of the floor has been crucial, making his extended absence even more concerning for the Bucks&#8217; playoff positioning.<\/p>\n<h3 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Who Steps Up for Milwaukee?<\/h3>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">With Antetokounmpo sidelined, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/portibo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bobby Portis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a>, and newly acquired forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuzmaky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Kuzma<\/a> must step up. Portis has already delivered strong performances in Giannis&#8217; absence, posting 23 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/mil-vs-cha-0022400717\/box-score\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">against Charlotte<\/a>, followed by 26 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/mil-vs-atl-0022400736\/box-score\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">against Atlanta<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kuzma, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/05\/trade-grades-kuzma-to-the-bucks-middleton-to-the-wizards\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">acquired before the trade deadline<\/a>, has an opportunity to make a greater impact as he settles into Milwaukee\u2019s system. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/mil-vs-atl-0022400736\/box-score\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In his debut<\/a>, he scored 12 first half points but struggled in the second half. The Bucks need him to be more consistent during this stretch without their franchise star.<\/p>\n<h3 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Giannis Will Need To Be Replaced In All-Star Game<\/h3>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Antetokounmpo\u2019s missing the All-Star Game opens a roster spot for an Eastern Conference replacement, sparking speculation among fans. Several deserving players who were initially snubbed could receive the nod, depending on the NBA\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<p>Some fans worry about Giannis\u2019 injury history, while others view this break as a strategic move to ensure he returns at full strength for the season\u2019s final stretch. Regardless, the Bucks must find a way to stay afloat without their superstar and regain momentum in the playoff race. With a tough stretch of games ahead, Milwaukee\u2019s ability to compete without Antetokounmpo will be a major test for the team\u2019s depth and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the NBA All-Star Game due to a left calf strain, according to ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania. His absence means he will not participate in his ninth consecutive All-Star appearance, disappointing Bucks fans and the league. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined through the next week due to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5312,"featured_media":122998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,15,62,3],"tags":[187,306,1128],"class_list":["post-122986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bucks","category-nba","category-news","tag-damian-lillard","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-kyle-kuzma"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5312"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122986"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122999,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122986\/revisions\/122999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}