WASHINGTON – Milwaukee Bucks star center Giannis Antetokounmpo missed practice with the NBA club on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) due to a bruised lower back but coach Mike Budenholzer was optimistic about his status for Wednesday's playoff game (Thursday in Manila).
The Greek big man, who averaged 31.1 points a game in the regular season, suffered the injury with a hard fall as he drove to the basket against Miami's Kevin Love in the first quarter of Sunday's 130-117 Heat road victory over the top seed Bucks to open their first round best-of-seven playoff series.
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Budenholzer says Antetokounmpo will continue to receive treatment upon his back before game two at Milwaukee.
"He will get treatment," Budenholzer said, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "We'll see how he feels. I think there has been a lot of progress and hopefully there's more in the next day or so."
The Bucks, who had an NBA-best record of 58-24 this season, went 11-8 without Antetokounmpo this season.
"Whether it will be everyday things that will tell him what he can do — and then on the court move a little bit, shoot a little bit, do some defensive things, get ready for a basketball game — we'll just see how the next day goes," Budenholzer said.
Budenholzer had said he was optimistic about Antetokounmpo's status despite the player's inability to practice on the eve of game two against the Heat.
"If I'm being honest I think there's an optimism," Budenholzer said. "Time, I think is a little bit on our side, but I think that equation will flip."
"I would say we're optimistic."