Follow usGiannis Antetokounmpo left late in the first quarter with a right knee injury to spoil his rapid recovery from a sprained wrist, but the Milwaukee Bucks still defeated Miami Heat 128-99 on Friday night for their 13th consecutive win.
On a Heater. pic.twitter.com/vHH77tnm4h
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 25, 2023
“I haven’t gotten the full breakdown, but I’m pretty sure either on a drive or on a screen or something like that, he knocked knees with somebody and just wasn’t able to return,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who had no update beyond that.
Antetokounmpo, who was in the starting lineup just four days after heading to New York to have his wrist examined, passed the ball and immediately motioned to the bench as the Bucks called a timeout to enable him to head to the locker room.
Jrue Holiday, who shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range, finished with 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Bobby Portis had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a sprained right medial collateral ligament that caused him to miss 11 games.
Brook Lopez poured in 17 points, Grayson Allen 16 and Khris Middleton 12.
Meyers Leonard, who signed a 10-day contract this week, had five points and six rebounds in 15 minutes while playing his first NBA game since January 2021. Jae Crowder, who was acquired at the trade deadline, made his 2022-23 debut and had nine points in 16 minutes.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 23 points, Bam Adebayo scored 18, Tyler Herro 14 and Caleb Martin 13. Miami shot just 9 of 40 on 3-point attempts.
Kevin Love and Cody Zeller made their Heat debuts after joining the Heat during the All-Star Game break.
Heat will visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday while the Bucks host Phoenix Suns on Sunday in the first matchup of the season between the teams.
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