- - Bucks coach Doc Rivers says he anticipates Giannis Antetokounmpo missing about 4 weeks

STEVE MEGARGEE December 6, 2025 at 2:21 AM

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1 / 4Pistons Bucks BasketballMilwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after suffering an injury during the first half an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kylie Bridenhagen)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers says he anticipates Giannis Antetokounmpo missing about a month as the two-time MVP recovers from a strained right calf.

Initial reports indicated Antetokounmpo would be out two to four weeks. Rivers suggested Friday that it would likely be on the higher end of that timeline.

“Let’s hope he’s back sooner, but I’m going to guess it’s more in the four-week range,” Rivers said before the Bucks’ game with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rivers emphasized the importance of caution with calf issues to avoid the risk of a player getting hurt more severely.

“And so that may take longer than we want,” Rivers said. “That even may make Giannis frustrated over it. But we’ve just got to try to get that right.”

Antetokounmpo injured his calf in the opening minutes of a 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

He had just assisted on AJ Green’s layup less than three minutes into the game when he headed back up the court and slipped in the painted area. Antetokounmpo went down, clutched his right leg and eventually was helped up before walking to the locker room.

Rivers said after that game that he believed Antetokounmpo’s injury may have stemmed from contact he made with a Detroit player while driving along the baseline just before passing to Green.

Antetokounmpo entered Friday ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring (28.9), ninth in rebounding (10.1) and 19th in assists (6.1).

His injury looked similar to a calf strain that ended Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 season prematurely. Antetokounmpo was heading up the court during an April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics that season when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat on the floor before being helped off the court.

Antetokounmpo went on to miss the Bucks’ final three regular-season games as well as their entire six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs that season.

This latest calf injury comes after Antetokounmpo missed four games last month with a left adductor strain. The Bucks lost all four of those games.

Rivers noted that Milwaukee guard Kevin Porter Jr. also didn’t play in any of those games while recovering from a knee injury. Porter returned Nov. 29 and is averaging 19.8 points and 5 assists this season.

“Now we have ‘Scoot’ (Porter) and Ryan (Rollins) together,” Rivers said. “It’s a different team than it was even three weeks ago or four weeks ago.”

The Bucks entered Friday having gone 1-5 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. The only win came in their first game without Antetokounmpo, a 120-110 home victory over the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 30.

But they did rally from an 18-point deficit Wednesday against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons with Antetokounmpo only playing the first three minutes.

This injury occurred the same day ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, had started speaking with the Bucks about the nine-time all-NBA forward’s future and whether he’s best suited to stay in Milwaukee or play elsewhere. Rivers disputed the report and said that “Giannis has never asked to be traded – ever. I can’t make that more clear."

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Source: “AOL Sports”