MILWAUKEE — Three minutes into Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons, Giannis Antetokounmpo drove baseline and found 3-point specialist AJ Green cutting to the rim for a layup. As he passed Green on his way back up the floor, Antetokounmpo suddenly collapsed to the floor with what appeared to be a noncontact injury.
Antetokounmpo sat on the floor as the other nine players made their way up the court. He refused to attempt to stand and called to the bench for a timeout from Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers. On the other end of the floor, teammate Kevin Porter Jr. committed a foul to give Rivers a chance to take a timeout and get medical attention for the Bucks’ star forward.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf strain) will not return to tonight’s game.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 4, 2025
On a day the basketball world spent talking about Antetokounmpo’s future, the Bucks were being forced to reckon with the now, as their star player sat injured on the Fiserv Forum court.
After a few moments, Antetokounmpo got up with help from the medical staff and teammates and walked to the Bucks bench. By the end of the timeout, he was walking back to the Bucks locker room. Before the end of the first quarter, the Bucks ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right calf strain.
Following the game, Rivers told reporters that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI to get a better idea of the extent of the injury, but that he thinks the Bucks had ruled out an Achilles injury before the MRI. While that unofficial diagnosis allowed players and fans to catch their breath following the game, the players on the floor were given no such assurance and needed to go about trying to compete against the Eastern Conference’s best team.
And that was exactly what they were able to do. While Antetokounmpo’s early injury sucked the life out of an already anxious building, the Bucks came back from scoring only four points in the first 7 1/2 minutes to grab a surprising 113-109 win over the Pistons.
“I think when it first happens, it kind of sucks the air out of the team,” Bobby Portis (13 points, nine rebounds, five assists) said. “It kind of sucks the energy out of the building, especially with a player like Giannis who affects the game in so many ways, MVP-type player. The things that he does for our team is crazy.”
Portis added: “I’m just happy that we were able to rally together and get the win. Obviously, over the last couple weeks, it’s been rough for us. Highs and lows, more lows than highs, so today was a big game for us.”
The Bucks had five players score in double figures, led by Porter (26 points, seven assists) and Ryan Rollins (22 points, four rebounds, eight assists), who stepped up in Antetokounmpo’s absence.
While the Bucks’ new backcourt duo took turns making plays throughout the fourth quarter, Green knocked down three clutch 3s on his way to scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. It was a full team effort as Jericho Sims scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
DAIRY. BIRD.
Big back-to-back triples for the lead! pic.twitter.com/hnqz4FR1b6
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 4, 2025
Working together to come back and beat the Pistons would have made for a strong win, but it was extra special for two more reasons.
The Bucks lost all four games Antetokounmpo missed with a left adductor strain earlier this season, but two were close contests they had a chance to win. On Wednesday, they showed they could win a close game without their best player.
“Either you come together as a unit and you figure out a way to reel it in for him or the air gets sucked and we can’t come back from it,” Porter said. “And I think Giannis would be proud of us that we were able to come back and finish the game and get a win for him.”
On top of that, Portis informed reporters after the game that the Bucks had a team meeting Wednesday morning to get the team back on track after a disappointing loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday.
“Just trying to keep guys’ minds right, keep guys together, that’s a big thing in the league,” Portis explained of the motive behind the meeting. “Obviously, everybody wants to get paid, everybody has different motives, whatever it is. Just making sure that we’re together, right?
“And then, most importantly, understanding that we have to get a win. No matter how we get it. If it’s ugly, if it’s good, if we’re knocking down shots, whatever it is, the most important thing was to win.”
With Antetokounmpo sidelined, the Bucks banded together and picked up a comeback win over the team leading the Eastern Conference. That togetherness could have been shook by another round of trade rumors, but players insisted that the locker room remains united in its belief in Antetokounmpo’s desire to remain in Milwaukee and see this season through to the end.
“I’ll just say this: There’s a lot of outside noise, that’s just what comes with it,” Porter said. “And Giannis does a great job of assuring (us) that he’s wanting to be here with this group specifically.
“So, we ain’t even worried about all the outside noise. That’s my brother and I’m sure if it was something he would come to us, but he’s with us and we’re gonna hold it down until he’s ready.”
A similar sentiment was shared by each of the players who talked with reporters.
“We know GA. We know he’s here for us. He loves the city. He loves the team. We love him,” Green said. “We’re gonna play for him. He’s gonna play for us.
“So, people are going to say whatever, outside noise, but we know what it is inside this locker room and the relationship we got and the team we got, so we’re just gonna continue to run with that and trust it.”
As players left Fiserv Forum, there was no clear diagnosis on the injury. Questions may still exist about a timeline for Antetokounmpo’s return and outside noise may continue to persist about his future in Milwaukee, but for at least one night, the Bucks were able to tune it all out, work together as a team and pull out a comeback win without their star.
Only time will tell how many more times they will be asked to do it moving forward, but their superstar appreciated the effort. Portis told reporters that Antetokounmpo was the first player to post something in the team’s group chat congratulating the team on the win.