Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable for Sunday's Game 4 against the Miami Heat with an ankle sprain, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported seeing Antetokounmpo "severely limping" after Game 3, though the forward said the ankle wasn't an issue while playing.

Antetokounmpo's importance to the Bucks largely goes without saying. He's the reigning NBA MVP and likely headed for his second straight nod.

The 25-year-old averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists during the regular season for Milwaukee, which secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks' front office has done a great job of strengthening Antetokounmpo's role within both their financial means and their status as a non-marquee free-agent destination. Milwaukee can feasibly throw out four shooters to space the floor to free up the paint for the Greek Freak.

Of course, the obvious drawback to effectively building the roster around one player is that things can quickly unravel when that one player is unavailable.

Last year, the Toronto Raptors eliminated Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals in large part because they smothered Giannis at all times and put the onus on the rest of the team.

With the Bucks down 3-0 to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, this injury could pose a significant threat to their title hopes. If Antetokounmpo were to miss the game or play at less than 100 percent, Milwaukee could be in serious trouble.

Giannis Antetokounmpo walked away from the Milwaukee Bucks' Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat with a limp, but he feels like he could have been on the floor even longer. 

"I feel great," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "I could play more."

Antetokounmpo hurt his ankle in the first quarter but showed few signs of it affecting him as he played 35 minutes in Milwaukee's 115-100 loss. 

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer's refusal to play Giannis and Khris Middleton more extended minutes has been overwhelmingly derided as the East's top seed fell into a 3-0 hole. Giannis, a 25-year-old in peak physical condition, has played no more than 37 minutes in a postseason game. The Lakers played 35-year-old LeBron James 37 minutes Friday night in a contest where he sat out the final two minutes. 

While there is a strong argument for Budenholzer saving his players during the regular season—Antetokounmpo averaged just 30.4 minutes—the logic falls by the wayside in the playoffs. Limiting Antetokounmpo's minutes during the regular season is done for the express purpose of leaning on him in critical moments.

For his part, Budenholzer is steadfastly refusing to change his patterns.

"No, I think we, obviously, it's 48 minutes. You gotta be good for the last 12. If anything, I think keeping us fresh and ready to go and compete and all those things," Budenholzer said. "Khris was in a little bit of a foul trouble. It's a high level. If you're going as hard as these guys are in a playoff game, 35-36 [minutes], I think that's pushing the ceiling."

That rigidity of thought and lack of meaningful adjustment has pushed the Bucks to the brink of their season. For the second straight year, a team has found that overwhelming the paint and limiting Giannis' driving lanes leaves Milwaukee incapable of generating consistent offense. With their season on the line, it'll be interesting to see if Budenholzer actually budges and allows his best players extended minutes. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo played only 35 minutes during his team's 115-100 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, which raised glaring questions about his usage.

Although Antetokounmpo tweaked his right ankle during the first quarter of Friday's loss, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that it wasn't why he limited the Greek Freak's playing time, per Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Antetokounmpo said postgame that his ankle wasn't bothering him, but Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported seeing the Bucks star walking out of the arena with a severe limp.

The Bucks are down 3-0 to the Heat after being outscored 40-13 in the fourth quarter Friday.

In addition to Antetokounmpo's questionable usage, All-Star forward Khris Middleton played only 36 minutes. Eric Nehm of The Athletic asked Budenholzer why he didn't play the duo more:

Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot only 7-of-21 and missed all seven of his three-pointers. Middleton had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and seven assists.

It's unclear how much better the Bucks would have been if Antetokounmpo and Middleton played more Friday. Antetokounmpo finished as a minus-13, while Middleton was a minus-seven.

The Bucks' season is now on the line when they play Game 4 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Miami will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors with a victory.

The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks' backs are against the wall after dropping the first two games of their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Miami Heat, but head coach Mike Budenholzer believes his team will bounce back.

"Your character comes through when you're tested," he said, per Dennis Krause of Spectrum News 1. "This team's character is off the charts...This team is built to respond."

Milwaukee finds itself behind 2-0 after a strange finish to Game 2 on Wednesday.

The Heat were largely in control throughout, but the Bucks came storming back with an opportunity to tie in the final seconds. It appeared as if that chance passed them by when Khris Middleton missed a three, but officials called a questionable foul on Goran Dragic.

After Middleton tied the game by making all three free throws, Giannis Antetokounmpo was whistled for a foul at the buzzer on a Jimmy Butler jump shot. Butler made the free throws and clinched the 116-114 victory.

As a result, the Bucks are fighting against history.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press noted Miami is 15-0 in franchise history when winning the first two games of a playoff series, Milwaukee is 0-18 in franchise history when losing the first two games of a playoff series and NBA teams win 93.3 percent of series they go ahead 2-0.

There is plenty of pressure on Friday's Game 3 as well considering no team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in playoff history.

The Bucks will need to overcome their own mistakes, as they turned it over 14 times and shot a lackluster 7-of-25 (28 percent) from three-point range in Game 2. The outside shooting was particularly problematic because the Heat have built a defensive wall around the rim in an effort to cut off Giannis' penetration.

Budenholzer could also help by playing his stars more considering Middleton played 33 minutes in Game 2. Antetokounmpo played just 36 and was on the bench with his team trailing with six minutes remaining.

Versatility was among Scottie Pippen's many strengths on the basketball court, and he's a multifaceted threat on social media too.

Pippen seamlessly praised Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo while shading Richard Jefferson in the same tweet Thursday after the latter criticized the former Bulls standout:

The Bucks trail the Miami Heat 2-0 in the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs following a 116-114 defeat Wednesday. Jefferson appeared to be making the point that Antetokounmpo can't be the No. 1 option on a championship team.

Pippen did a pretty good job of critiquing that argument, and one could question why Pippen continues to be an avatar for a player who's not good enough to lead a team on his own. Sure, Michael Jordan was the clear go-to star during the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, but those six titles probably don't happen without Pippen.

Not to mention, people questioned whether the Bulls could win a title while building around Jordan before they got over the hump in 1991.

Imagine the state of the social media discourse following the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals.

The moral of the story is observers should be careful about the hot takes they lob toward Antetokounmpo, a player who's likely to collect two MVPs before he turns 26.     

Giannis Antetokounmpo free-agency rumors have ramped up with the Milwaukee Bucks down 2-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported it's an "open secret" in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, that the Heat and the Toronto Raptors are front-runners to land the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year when he becomes a free agent in 2021.

The Bucks have lacked answers for Miami's defensive game plan, looking as lost as they did a year ago when the Toronto Raptors employed similar tactics in the conference finals. Antetokounmpo has disappointed, looking befuddled when teams scheme to keep him out of the paint in half-court sets.

Giannis has consistently maintained a desire to stay in Milwaukee. He'll get a chance to prove that this offseason when the Bucks offer him a supermax extension. If Antetokounmpo refuses to sign the contract, it'll be an indication he's open to exploring free agency, at which point the Bucks will have to seriously consider trading him.

The supermax could also be less enticing if the cap is projected to go down because of financial losses from COVID-19. It's a complicated situation that will play itself out through the rumor mill until Giannis gives an indication of how he wants to handle his future.

The Heat have been regularly linked to free agents since pulling off their LeBron James-Chris Bosh coup in 2010. The Raptors have a history of attracting and cultivating non-American talent, and Toronto has a strong Greek population, which could sway the Greek Freak.

Crew chief Marc Davis explained his decision to call a shooting foul against the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo as time expired in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday night, which allowed the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler to hit the game-winning free throws.

Davis stated the reasoning for the call was similar to one made against Miami's Goran Dragic just seconds earlier that briefly allowed the Bucks to tie the game at 114:

The game had 10 points scored inside the final 15 seconds as Milwaukee's comeback attempt included a 7-1 run to tie the game before losing on the foul at the buzzer.

Since Butler's shot was released before time expired but the foul occurred after the buzzer, the Heat star was allowed to shoot two free throws with no time on the clock to give Miami a 2-0 series lead over the Eastern Conference's top seed.

Antetokounmpo discussed the foul afterward:

Butler said he felt it was the right call based on the reigning NBA MVP touching him on the follow-through.

"It was an iso. Goran made a helluva pass on the inbound; then just wait for the clock to go out," Butler told reporters. "A step-back jumper and I got fouled, pushed me in the back. Can't deny that, and then I knew I had to make one out of two, so I ended up, I think I made both of them and we win."

His free throws put the Heat in a terrific position to upset the Bucks. Teams with a 2-0 series lead in the NBA playoffs have gone on to advance 93.6 percent of the time, per Land of Basketball.

Controversial call aside, Milwaukee has allowed Miami to make 29 threes on 38.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc in the first two games, something that must change for Milwaukee to come back.

Game 3 is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tip off Friday on TNT.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said he was "disappointed" with the foul called against Giannis Antetokounmpo on the final play of the team's 116-114 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. 

Antetokounmpo was called for a foul on Jimmy Butler while he attempted a jump shot as time expired. The contact came after Butler had already released the ball and didn't appear to affect the shot in any way. Butler hit both free throws with no time left on the clock, ending the game and giving the Heat a surprising 2-0 lead in the series. 

The call—which prevented overtime—was not received well on social media:

Antetokounmpo didn't seem overly convinced he committed a foul on the play either, though he said he'd have to rewatch it:

It followed another controversial call on the previous possession, when Goran Dragic was called for a foul on Khris Middleton while the Bucks wing was in the act of shooting a three-pointer. Middleton sunk all three free throws, tying the game. 

It's hard to imagine anybody will be happy that the referees were the main storyline from the game. 

Another storyline is that the Bucks now find themselves in a 2-0 hole, a shocking development after they rolled through the pre-bubble regular season and finished with the league's best record (56-17). The Bucks haven't been very good in the bubble though, now going 7-8 between the eight regular season games in Orlando and the playoffs. 

The bubble environment has led to some strange results and fascinating moments. The top two seeds in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks and Toronto Raptors, each being down 2-0 in their respective conference semifinal series is certainly one of the more surprising developments. 

Milwaukee Bucks guard Kyle Korver said his team is "trying to stand for what's right" amid ongoing protests against systemic racism and social injustice, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. 

The Bucks began a wave of protests across American professional sports last week when they did not take the court for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic. Other teams and players across the NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS and tennis did not take the court or field in solidarity.

The Bucks' efforts were in protest of systemic racism and police brutality sparked most recently by the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times in the back by police trying to detain him in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

With that in mind, Korver spoke about the team's recent push to get a package of police policy bills passed in the Wisconsin state legislature.

He expressed disappointment in recent actions taken by the state legislature on that front. Per Woodyard, Gov. Tony Evers called a special session to discuss the bills, but the Republican-led legislature "started and recessed in less than 30 seconds—satisfying requirements of the law that they meet."

Korver talked about his team's role in the process: "I think watching what happened [Monday] was disappointing with our legislature gaveling in and gaveling out. It was disappointing. Surely, there are things to talk about right now, right? Like surely there are things that our state needs leadership in and how can we be better?"

Korver added:

"We're getting so sidetracked with the narratives that people are trying to create. Our team is trying to stand in the middle. We're trying to be a bridge and I think we're all disappointed in what happened yesterday. We can only control what we can control and we have a big series that we're in.

"We're trying to do both, but we're trying to stand in the middle. Sport has always had that opportunity. So, we're trying to partner with the other teams in the state and say how can we be leaders? Because we need leadership in our state and our country. We need leadership that is standing for the people.

"We need this right now and we're not getting it. So, we don't want to be pulled one way or the other. We're learning on the fly how to try and be in the middle and it's tough, but that's our heart and I hope everyone knows it in Wisconsin. We're trying to stand for what's right and there are things that need to be addressed in our state."

The bill included, but was not limited to, a ban on police chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

It also called for the creation of uniform statewide guidelines for use of force, a requirement for police to complete eight hours of training annually on use of force and de-escalation and a mandate for all police departments to have their own use-of-force policies, to be made available to the public.

However, the session is still "open," per Woodyard, meaning the legislature can revisit the bill if they so choose at another time.

The Bucks are currently trailing the Miami Heat 1-0 in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday.

After Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler went for 40 in a Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, players are beginning to question the credentials of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Defensive Player of the Year didn't match up against Butler, but that might say even more about Antetokounmpo.

An All-Star reportedly told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that Giannis is "not a lockdown defender who shuts down other stars," meaning he shouldn't have been named the league's top defender.

Antetokounmpo earned 75 of 100 first-place votes on his way to winning the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year Award, well ahead of Anthony Davis in second place with 14 first-place votes.

Khris Middleton defended Butler in Monday's game and often handles top perimeter players, although Antetokounmpo still plays a vital defensive role for Milwaukee.

In addition to his 29.5 points per game, he averaged 13.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. 

The advanced stats also told a major part of the story as the forward led the NBA in defensive win shares (5.0), defensive box plus-minus (4.1) and defensive rating (97), per Basketball Reference.

Milwaukee had the No. 1 defense in the NBA, and the unit was better when Antetokounmpo was on the floor.

Though the anonymous player might have different criteria for Defensive Player of the Year, the selection was certainly justified.

It is now up to the Bucks to figure out how to slow Butler down for Game 2.