CHICAGO — The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t miss too much time because of his sprained right ankle.
Antetokounmpo sat out Friday’s 108-98 win over the Chicago Bulls, after he exited in the opening minute of a loss to Houston the previous night. The two-time MVP rolled his already-hurt ankle when he appeared to step on the foot of Rockets big man Kelly Olynyk while driving for a layup.
Antetokounmpo limped to the locker room and spent a few minutes there before returning to the bench, where he sat for the rest of the game. He finished with one point.
Coach Mike Budenholzer had no update on Antetokounmpo’s condition, though he was “hopeful that it’s very short term.”
Antetokounmpo ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring (28 points per game) and seventh in rebounding (11.2) through Thursday. The Bucks were third in the Eastern Conference behind Brooklyn and Philadelphia entering Friday’s game.
The Bucks are no strangers to playing without Antetokounmpo. Friday’s game was the 10th he has missed, including six in early April with an ailing left knee. Milwaukee went 3-3 in that stretch.
“I do think there’s a silver lining to us playing without him and other guys getting opportunities and growing and developing,” Budenholzer said. “Obviously, we’ll be at our best when he’s healthy and the whole group is healthy.”
The Bucks were missing another starter with forward Donte DiVincenzo — averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds — out with a sore right big toe. He recently missed two games.
“We feel like hopefully if we can manage this, stay on top of it, keep it to a minimum, we expect him to be good to go,” Budenholzer said.