Giannis Antetokounmpo officially ruled out for Game 5 vs Heat

Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in Game 5.

The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to pull off an improbable 3-0 comeback against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but their hopes hinge almost entirely on superstar and potential back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the Bucks in need of a spark ahead of Game 5, Giannis will not suit up in this game.

Antetokounmpo, per Shams Charania, will not suit up in a must-win Game 5, as his ankle is proving to troublesome to play on. Giannis tried to tough out his ankle injury in Game 4, a game in which he started off hot, but he re-aggravated the injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks have struggled against the Heat

Giannis hasn’t been himself in this series, as he has topped 22 points just once in four games, three of which were won by Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the Heat. While Giannis has taken his lumps in this series, head coach Mike Budenholzer has also been criticized for leaving Giannis on the bench frequently while Erik Spoelstra has allowed his stars to play almost the entire game.

Unless Khris Middleton turns it on once again, like he did at the end of Game 4 to lead the Bucks to an overtime, Milwaukee might become one of the few No. 1 seeds that got bounced in the conference semifinals.

Giannis’ Bucks came into the playoffs a bit slow, but many figured they would be the favorites in the East. Instead, an injury to Giannis against a hot Miami team might be enough to seal an upset for the Heat and a monumental disappointment for a Bucks team with title aspirations