On Tuesday, Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals got absolutely shaken up when it was confirmed at the last minute that the Atlanta Hawks’ star point guard Trae Young would be unable to play due to injury. What could have been an unfortunate end to Atlanta’s magical playoff run this year quickly became something else entirely. At half-time, the Hawks had surprisingly outscored the Bucks 51-38, but the biggest story of the night happened during the first stretch of the third quarter.
After unsuccessfully attempting to block a lob dunk by Clint Capela, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Capela both hit the floor hard, but clearly, something bad had just transpired because Antetokounmpo remained on the floor for several minutes. Eventually, Giannis was able to hobble off the hardwood, but he did not return to the game, which ultimately swung Atlanta’s way and tied the series 2-2.
According to CBS Sports, Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a left knee hyperextension, and the Milwaukee Bucks star forward is expected to undergo an MRI on Wednesday. No more details have been revealed so far, so Antetokounmpo’s status for the remainder of the series is extremely questionable.
Despite Giannis’ injury potentially giving the Hawks an opportunity to close out this series and advance to the NBA Finals, several players have offered their condolences for Antetokounmpo over social media, including Clint Capela and the also-injured Trae Young.
Stay tuned to see whether Giannis will be able to return and lead the Bucks to a victory during Game 5 in Milwaukee.
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