By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Frustration is seemingly reaching a boiling point over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s possible departure from the Milwaukee Bucks, especially after an injury setback combining with a 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum.
The 31-year-old Greek point forward went to the locker room during the first quarter, then returned midway through the second, but exited once more with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. He had his lower right leg wrapped en route to a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double, alongside seven assists. Lasting 32:10, he was limited to 4/8 from the field.
Friday’s game was a feature of the ongoing fifth annual AWS NBA Rivals Week and went through three lead changes before the visitors took over in the third quarter. A 23-point advantage was reduced to two points in the final seconds, but David Adelman’s side barely held on to improve to 31-15 in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season, securing a second straight win at the top of a three-game road trip.
After being cleared from a right calf strain and returning to action on Thursday, Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas sat out the bottom half of a back-to-back, rejoining Serbian Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise) on the Nuggets’ inactive list. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon was forced to an early exit due to a right hamstring strain.
The Freak’s brothers on the team coached by Doc Rivers ranged from Alex Antetokounmpo remaining on his G League assignment with the Wisconsin Herd to Thanasis Antetokounmpo staying on the bench.