The Milwaukee Bucks held their breath late on Friday night in Denver. With 34 seconds left in a 102-100 loss to the Nuggets, Giannis Antetokounmpo limped off with a right calf injury. By the end of the night, the two-time MVP said he expects to miss 4–6 weeks, with an MRI set for Saturday to confirm the damage. That timeline could push his return until after the Feb. 5 trade deadline, a key window for a team with title hopes.

For Milwaukee, this is more than just one night. It is a growing pattern that the team—and Giannis—can no longer ignore.

How the injury unfolded vs. the Nuggets

Antetokounmpo appeared to feel the calf in the first quarter. He returned with a wrap on his right leg and kept playing, though he clearly favored it, especially after halftime. Despite the pain, he nearly dragged Milwaukee all the way back from a deep hole. The Bucks trailed by 23 points with 10:33 left in the fourth quarter and still had a shot late before falling by two.

Giannis finished with a full line—22 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 14-of-16 at the line, plus 13 rebounds and 7 assists in 32 minutes. He did it all while on a minutes restriction, a sign the team was already trying to manage his workload.

After the game, he explained how the pain built up as he pushed through: “I was feeling it majority of the game but did not want to stop playing. But at the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop.”

“If Giannis keeps pushing through pain, are the Bucks risking May for a win in January?”

The MRI and the 4–6 week timeline

Antetokounmpo said he will undergo an MRI on Saturday. From his own experience, he suspects the issue is in the soleus, a muscle in the calf: “After the MRI, they will tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf on my soleus or something. This is from my experience being around the NBA.”

His early estimate is 4–6 weeks on the sideline. If that holds, he could miss a big chunk of the Bucks’ schedule around the league’s trade deadline on Feb. 5. The testing will confirm how long he’s out, but the message on Friday was clear: this is not a day-to-day tweak.

Doc Rivers: “It keeps happening, and that’s troublesome”

Head coach Doc Rivers did not sugarcoat the concern around the star’s calf. “This calf keeps coming up and it’s concerning,” Rivers said. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m smart enough to know that his calf keeps bothering him and there’s something that is there. It keeps happening, and that’s troublesome for all of us.” He added, “I don’t think it looks great, personally.”

Rivers’ blunt tone matched the moment. The Bucks are built around Giannis’ force and his ability to bend games to his will. Any repeat lower-leg issue threatens that backbone—both for the short term and for the playoffs Milwaukee expects to reach.

“Trade deadline calculus just changed—Milwaukee needs two-way depth now.”

A worrying calf history for Milwaukee’s superstar

This is not a one-off. Antetokounmpo missed three weeks in December with a right soleus strain. Last season, a left calf strain kept him out of the All-Star Game. In 2024, another left calf strain knocked him out for the final week of the regular season and the entire playoffs.

Put simply, calf problems have followed him from year to year. That history is why Friday hit harder than a normal late-January injury. Even Giannis, forever aggressive and upbeat, sounded resigned to what the MRI might show.

What it means for the Bucks before the trade deadline

If Antetokounmpo is indeed out 4–6 weeks, he could be sidelined past Feb. 5. That matters. The Bucks must decide how to cover for his minutes, scoring, and rebounding in the short term, while also thinking big-picture about April and May.

• Do they add another frontcourt body for defense and boards?
• Can they find a wing who lightens the load for the remaining stars?
• How do they protect Giannis’ long-term health while staying in the hunt?

This injury doesn’t end Milwaukee’s season. But it may force a different plan—more patience now, more depth later, and a steadier runway for Giannis to return at full strength.

“Seeding matters, but Giannis healthy in April matters more.”

Friday’s numbers: production through pain

What Antetokounmpo did before leaving was quietly remarkable given the context. On only eight shot attempts, he reached 22 points by living at the line (14-for-16), grabbed 13 rebounds, and set up seven baskets. He kept the Bucks’ offense alive during the push that cut a 23-point fourth-quarter hole to a one-possession finish.

Then, with 34 seconds to play, his night ended. It was the right choice, even for a player wired to push past pain. The bigger games are later, and he knows it.

The bottom line

Milwaukee can weather a few weeks without its superstar if the plan is clear and the minutes are spread wisely. But there is no substitute for Giannis. The Bucks’ identity—defense that flies, offense that bullies, transition that breaks opponents—starts with his legs. On Friday, those legs sent a warning.

The MRI will tell the full story. The early estimate is 4–6 weeks. The deadline looms on Feb. 5. Between those two dates lies the Bucks’ most important decision: protect the present, or protect the spring. The smart answer is both—by giving Giannis the time he needs now, so Milwaukee can be whole when it matters most.