Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about leaving Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a right calf injury, saying, “Doesn’t matter when I felt it. Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t able to finish the game… I always was feeling it majority of the game, but I did not want to stop playing. At the end I could not move no more so I had to stop.”
He described the challenge of staying effective despite the injury: “I would just try to be out there, do whatever I could, try to affect the game in any way I could by passing, rebounding… even sometimes when I’m at a disadvantage, I might still be effective. I’ve done it in the past.”
Antetokounmpo also discussed the next steps for recovery: “Probably the next steps will be go to MRI tomorrow. After the MRI, they will tell me… probably give me a protocol of four to six weeks that I’ll be out. After that, I’m going to work my butt off to come back. That will probably be end of February, beginning of March.”
On the mental challenge of another injury, Giannis said, “It’s frustrating, but if I’m going to do the work, put in the protocol, wake up early, eat right, sleep right, work hard… there’s no reason for me to whine. I know I’m going to do the work.”
He reflected on why he kept playing despite limited explosiveness: “I just don’t like to quit. I couldn’t explode, I could jog, I couldn’t get on my toes… I still felt like I could help, but at the end, when he popped, I had to get out. I couldn’t work.”
Antetokounmpo also acknowledged the impact on his All-NBA streak: “It’s hard. What is it, 10 years in a row? But all the good things have happened in my life and where I am at this moment… being out for four to six weeks is not ideal, but it could be way worse. Being out two, three, four, five, six weeks, the whole NBA, for sure, it’s going to hurt, but that’s the circumstances we’re in right now.”
Friday’s contest saw the Bucks nearly complete a comeback from a 23-point deficit, with Ryan Rollins scoring 21 points, but the Nuggets held on 102-100. Giannis contributed 22 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists before exiting.
Denver, missing Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas, shot 40% from the field, while Milwaukee converted 49% overall and 31% from three. The win improved Denver to 31-15, while the Bucks dropped to 18-26.
