Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be absent from the Milwaukee Bucks' Game 3 series against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night due to a strained muscle in his left calf.
The Bucks have already played the first two games of this series without Antetokounmpo. The Bucks and Pacers are tied at 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Antetokounmpo has not played since injuring his left calf on April 9 against the Boston Celtics. He missed the Bucks' final three games of the regular season.
The Bucks face the possibility of continuing their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series without two of their top three players. Khris Middleton missed Thursday's practice due to a sprained right ankle and is doubtful for Game 3 in Indianapolis.
The NBA's injury report Thursday afternoon listed Antetokounmpo as questionable and Middleton as questionable for Friday's game.
Middleton limped off in the first quarter of Tuesday's 125-108 Game 2 loss to the Bucks and briefly went to the locker room, but his right ankle was re-taped and he returned, eventually playing 36 minutes. The three-time All-Star averaged 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his first two games.
The Bucks have played without key players multiple times this year. The Bucks' top three players, Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Damian Lillard, have all played in just five of the past 35 games. This range of his 35 games includes his last 33 games of the regular season for Milwaukee and his first two games of this series.
The Bucks have become accustomed to dealing with injuries during the postseason.
Antetokounmpo missed the remainder of the 2020 second-round loss to Miami due to an ankle sprain. He missed the remaining two games of the 2021 East Finals due to knee hyperextension, but returned as NBA Finals MVP and led Milwaukee to the championship, scoring 50 points in the title-clinching victory.
Middleton missed the Bucks' final 10 games of the 2022 playoffs due to a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Last year, Antetokounmpo was sidelined in Game 1 with a hip contusion and missed the next two games in the Bucks' first-round loss to Miami.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
