To say that the Milwaukee Bucks 2025-26 season has been disappointing thus far would be an understatement. Saying that it has been an absolute disaster would be far more accurate. And that disaster continued with their 102-100 loss on Friday night to a Denver Nuggets team that did not have any of their usual starters healthy enough to play.
But worse than losing the game, Milwaukee lost their 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo to yet another calf injury. He suffered it in the closing seconds of the game as the Bucks’ rally from 23 points down in the fourth quarter came up short.
Giannis had scored 14 of his 22 points in the final quarter after missing some time during the came with discomfort in his calf.
Milwaukee Bucks fans have given up after the Giannis Antetokounmpo injury
Jan 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks on during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
While no imaging has officially been done yet, Giannis himself stated that, based on his previous experiences, he believes he will be out 4-6 weeks after feeling a pop in his calf.
That was not the news Bucks fans wanted to hear:
Another calf strain that achilles is hanging on by a thread 😭😭 https://t.co/0phjXTAfK2 pic.twitter.com/UNTc10SckB
— The Truth (@TruthLounge34) January 24, 2026
The attendance at Fiserv Forum the rest of the season is going to be abysmal https://t.co/6n4cEqLE0y
— Chourios Churros (@FeelTheBurnes) January 24, 2026
Lottery pick soon 👀👀👀
Fire Doc and prosper in 2027 https://t.co/Xo3JLhBACj
— 𝕂ashew “Jordan Love SZN” ➐ (@KashwrapSupreme) January 24, 2026
If giannis misses 6 weeks, that is 17 games. Can’t imagine us being in the play-in hunt after that.
Hopefully the bucks go like 0-17 & we just shut GA down the rest of the year.
Get a t5 pick. Fire doc. Use the full MLE. Trade the 2031 & 2033 firsts for reinforcements. https://t.co/UtU13qdxBx
— NBA Look-Alikes (@look_nba) January 24, 2026
Some fans, as one can see, would like the Bucks to just shut Giannis down for the season and tank for a lottery pick. Fans from other fanbases believe that this is all just a ruse by Milwaukee and their star player to keep him off the floor until after the February 5 trade deadline.
Either way, it is not a good situation for the Bucks. They are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th seed, which is the final seed for the play-in tournament.
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