The Milwaukee Bucks lost more than another game on Friday night. In the closing seconds of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets, 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo came up lame and favoring his right calf. He had left the game earlier and went to the locker room for treatment, but insisted on coming back in to play.
He scored 14 of his 22 points as he tried to rally the Bucks back from a 23-point deficit. Unfortunately, it was not enough.
Now, at 18-26 on the season, Milwaukee is looking at the prospect of playing another long stretch of games without their best player.
Giannis Antetokounmpo does not appear to have a plan to leave the Milwaukee Bucks
Jan 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) walks the ball up court during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
After the game, Giannis made some comments addressing the injury, including that he expected to miss 4-6 weeks based on his previous experiences.
But he also hinted that he plans to still be in Milwaukee upon his return:
“I’m gonna work my butt off to come back. That will probably be (the) end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully, the team, we’re in a place where we can at least make the Play-In or make the playoffs.”
There have been rumors suggesting that Giannis and the Bucks are headed towards a divorce yet this season with the trade deadline approaching. However, these rumors come from so-called NBA insiders while Giannis himself and the Bucks organization have both publicly stated their commitment to each other.
Based on his comments after the game, it appears that Giannis believes he will still be on Milwaukee’s roster when he returns from his calf injury. Obviously, he hopes that the team will still be within reach of a play-in/playoff spot at that point so that he can help them make a run.
Currently, the Bucks are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th seed.
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