Giannis to undergo testing for possible groin injury in worrisome Bucks turn: ‘Didn’t look great’

An MVP candidate may be out for some time.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left Monday’s 118-106 Bucks loss to the Cavaliers with a groin injury, and there’s a bit of an ominous undertone to this one, according to head coach Doc Rivers.

“[It] didn’t look great, I can tell you that,” Rivers said postgame via ESPN. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Antetokounmpo was pulled from the game in the second quarter with 3:03 left in the half, having put up 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, right on par with his usual two-time MVP standards.

When Antetokounmpo was pulled from the second game of a back-to-back, the Cavaliers led by just one point.

Things went south for Milwaukee after his departure.

Rivers pointed out that Antetokounmpo was grabbing at the injury earlier in the game and that he believed the injury occurred much earlier in the contest.

“He grabbed it in the first quarter, and I asked him and he said it was fine,” Rivers said.

“Then, I think, he grabbed it again, and he said it was fine. Then, the third time is when it happened, but I think it happened earlier, in my opinion.”

Milwaukee was outscored, 59-49, and shot a terrible 38.6 percent from the field in the second half after Antetokounmpo was removed from the game.

The Bucks dropped back-to-back games for the first time all year and will be in a tough spot if Antetokounmpo misses significant time.

The Bucks went all in on this season when they released and stretched Damian Lillard’s contract during the offseason to acquire Myles Turner.

Milwaukee hosts the 76ers on Thursday and the Pistons on Saturday before NBA Cup groups take a stranglehold on the Association.