Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered an impressive performance during the regular season. Along with his individual stats, how he led the offensive effort for the franchise helped them achieve one of the best win records of the tournament. However, he has been unavailable to do the same during the ongoing playoffs. As a result, the Bucks currently hold a 1-2 record against the sixth-seeding Indiana Pacers. With the player not expected to return anytime soon, Bucks fans would have expected themselves to go into Game 4 with bad news. Unfortunately, a recent update has revealed that the situation may be even worse.

The official X handle of the Bucks put a tweet just a few minutes ago, stating that both Giannis and point guard, Damian Lillard, will be “out” for tonight’s game. 

Along with them, we have Chris Livington who is “out” as well because of an illness-related issue, and then we have Khris Middleton who was earlier “questionable” but is now “Probale” to play against the Pacers tonight. 

But coming back to Antentokounmpo – he’s been either “questionable” or “doubtful” for a pretty long time now. His calf strain isn’t letting him stay on the court for many pivotal games and moments. With him being absent, his team, especially Damian Lillard, is actually under a significant amount of pressure to carry on the offensive strategies. But since Lillard is also not going to show up tonight, their performance tonight might be in a rut.

What happened in Game 3 without Giannis Antentokounmpo?

In Game 3, the Pacers were leading the tally by 13 points in the first quarter. Lillard attempted to dash straight to the hoop and make the shot. Unfortunately, while attempting to block the Bucks’ star, Pascal Siakam accidentally landed his foot on his rival’s knee. Onlookers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse were shocked to witness Siakam’s agony and were left worried as the PG stayed down, clutching his knee. “It was painful, like initially, so I just stayed down and they was like ‘Let’s go back’” said Lillard later during the post-game presser. “And I just was like you know ‘Let me sit down for a second on the bench to see if it ease up”. 

The player went into the locker room and returned to the main lineup within one minute of game time. Unfortunately, doing so must not have been wise, as Lillard’s knee injury later aggravated his full-blown Achilles. Now, having been placed as ‘doubtful’, there is a very low possibility for the player to be present during Game 4.

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Khris Middleton was another player attempting to fill the gap left by Giannis’s absence. However, he also developed an injury during Game 2. According to head coach Doc Rivers, Middleton wasn’t available for practice on Thursday. Despite this, he made himself available on Game 3 and dropped 42 points. In the absence of the two leading scorers, it will be up to him to ensure that the Bucks are not eliminated from the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers player Bennedict Mathurin developed a shoulder injury and has been absent from the main roster since March. A surgery conducted in its aftermath rendered the player unavailable for the rest of the season. Mathurin is the only player from the Pacers to be listed on the Injury Report.

Can the Bucks manage to win without the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard? Let us know in the comments down below.