The Milwaukee Bucks gutted out an overtime win in Game 4 against the Miami Heat on Sunday. While the team came out on top, gigantic questions popped up about what was on the horizon in more ways than one, as Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game after he aggravated a sprained right ankle and made his way back to the locker room in serious pain.
Antetokounmpo was ruled out for the remainder of the game and left the arena while wearing a boot, an ominous sign about his potential availability for a Game 5. About an hour before that one tips off, Shams Charania of The Athletic brings word that the team will have to make due without him, as the reigning league MVP and recently-crowned Defensive Player of the Year will miss the game due to his injured ankle.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Game 5 vs. Miami with right ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 8, 2020
Despite the fact that they won Game 4 with him only playing 11 minutes, it obviously cannot be overstated how big of a loss Antetokounmpo is as Milwaukee fights to keep its season alive. In those 11 minutes, he managed to score 19 points, which was the second-highest total on the team. A whole lot is going to fall onto the shoulders of Khris Middleton to improve on what was an already stellar Game 4, as the All-Star scored 36 points, ripped down eight rebounds, and dished out eight assists in 48 minutes of work.