Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed the last four games due to a calf injury.
(AP) — Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in next weekend’s All-Star Game because of a strained left calf, meaning NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will have to pick a replacement.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers confirmed Antetokounmpo’s status Sunday, with the team ruling him out of a game against Philadelphia and indicating that he’ll likely also be out for games Monday at home against Golden State and Wednesday at Minnesota.
“We’ve just been monitoring it, and it just hasn’t improved enough for us to play him,” Rivers said. “If this was a playoff game, would he play? Probably yes. But this is not. And we want to make sure he’s playing in the playoffs.”
Antetokounmpo missed Milwaukee’s one-round appearance in last season’s playoffs with a left calf strain. The Bucks lost to Indiana in six games.
Antetokounmpo last played Feb. 2 in the Bucks’ 123-119 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was listed as unavailable due to right patella tendinopathy for the Bucks’ 125-96 loss at Oklahoma City the following night, and he’s been out with the calf issue ever since.
