The Milwaukee Bucks are picking up the pieces from a concerning game on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.
Milwaukee lost to Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs, 118-106, but perhaps more painful for the Bucks to see was the premature exit of Giannis Antetokounmpo from the game in the second quarter. Antetokounmpo appeared to hurt his groin and left before halftime. He did not return in the game, prompting concerns about his status going forward.
Without Antetokounmpo on the floor, Milwaukee struggled to keep up with Cleveland, which is one of the top teams in the league right now.
Antetokounmpo’s absence hit Bucks hard in loss to Cavaliers
Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma said Milwaukee had difficulties getting into the shaded area for higher percentage shot attempts with Antetokounmpo not on the floor the rest of the way versus Cleveland.
“We want to be able to try to get into the paint as much as we can, especially not having him, it was a little bit hard,” Kuzma said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “We had a couple possessions where we stalled or we might’ve posted up a little bit more than we kind of wanted to, but I think that we’re going to hit the tape in the next day or two and figure out ways to incorporate [that] if it is a groin strain.”
The Bucks have plenty of perimeter threats added to spread the floor for Antetokounmpo, but it becomes easier for opposing defenses to stay on Milwaukee’s shooters and protect the paint when the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player is off the court. Although Milwaukee hit 17 threes on a 47 percent shooting against the Cavs, they also scored just 34 points in the paint to 54 by Cleveland, which also went 15-for-35 from deep. Arguably, the Bucks lost the game because they couldn’t keep up with Cleveland’s inside scoring.
If Antetokounmpo needs time away from action to deal with his injury, Kuzma and the Bucks will have a much different game plan, beginning in this coming Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.
Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Antetokounmpo (34) reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
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