Giannis Antetokounmpo Injured As Bucks Fall To Nuggets

It was a night that began with hope and ended with a hush at Fiserv Forum, as the Milwaukee Bucks’ season took a dramatic turn during their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets on January 23, 2026. In a game that was supposed to be a chance for the Bucks to right the ship against a depleted Nuggets squad, all eyes turned to Giannis Antetokounmpo—and not for the reasons fans had hoped.

From the opening tip, something seemed off with the Bucks’ nine-time All-NBA forward. With just under four minutes left in the first quarter, Giannis abruptly headed toward the locker room, leaving viewers and commentators alike scratching their heads. He returned to the bench moments later, an ice pack wrapped around his ankle, and eventually checked back into the game with about 7:30 left in the second quarter. Still, he looked out of sorts, going just 1-for-4 from the field in the second period and clearly playing through discomfort. No official word was given at the time, but speculation was already swirling.

By the fourth quarter, the situation had escalated. The Bucks, trailing by as many as 23 points early in the period, mounted a furious comeback. Giannis, showing his trademark determination, poured in 14 of his 22 points in the final quarter, almost single-handedly dragging Milwaukee back into contention. With less than a minute to go and the deficit trimmed to just five, he leapt twice to contest a shot and grab a rebound. But as he pushed off his right foot to run the floor, disaster struck. He pulled up lame, limped past half court, and immediately reached for his right calf before slowly making his way to the bench.

Head coach Doc Rivers didn’t hesitate. "I thought he was favoring it for most of the second half, personally. I asked our team five different times. I didn’t like what my eyes were seeing, personally. Giannis was defiant about staying in," Rivers explained after the game. "On that (last) play, you could see him trying to run down the floor. To me, I had had enough. I didn’t ask. I just took him out. He actually wanted to go back in. That was a no for me." There was no disagreement between player and coach—just a mutual understanding that something wasn’t right.

Antetokounmpo’s final stat line—22 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists—only told part of the story. He later admitted, "It wasn’t for my teammates, it was for myself. I just don’t like to quit. I feel like I couldn’t explode. I could jog. I couldn’t get on my toes, so I was kind of jogging on my heel the majority of the game. I didn’t have the same explosiveness, but I still feel like I would help. But then at the end, when it popped, I had to get out. I couldn’t walk."

After the game, Giannis revealed he was bracing for bad news. "Probably the next steps will be, go to (an) MRI tomorrow. After the MRI, they’ll tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf, in my soleus, something. They’ll probably give me a protocol of four to six weeks that I’ll be out. This is from my experience being around the NBA." He added, "I’m gonna work my butt off to come back. That will probably be (the) end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully, the team, we’re in a place where we can at least make the Play-In or make the playoffs."

It’s not the first time this season Giannis has been sidelined by a calf strain. Earlier, he missed eight games with a similar injury and has now missed 16 games overall due to various ailments. Despite those setbacks, he’s been a statistical force, averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. But Milwaukee’s fortunes have not mirrored his individual brilliance. With this latest loss, the Bucks dropped to 18-26, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference and 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot.

The loss to Denver was especially bitter given the circumstances. The Nuggets were on the second night of a back-to-back and missing five of their six most important players, including Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. Even Aaron Gordon, their lone remaining starter, exited before halftime with a hamstring injury. Yet, Denver surged ahead in the third quarter, building a 23-point lead with 10:33 left. The Bucks’ late rally fell short, as Kyle Kuzma’s desperation heave at the buzzer missed the mark.

Off the court, the Bucks have been grappling with internal turmoil. Just two days before the game, Giannis publicly called out his teammates for "being selfish" and questioned the team’s chemistry. "We’re not playing hard, not doing the right things," he said after a loss to the Thunder. "We’re not playing to win. Not playing together. Our chemistry’s not there. Guys are being selfish. Guys are trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team. Guys trying to do it on their own. At times, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 30, we try to make it up in one play. It is not gonna work. We just gotta keep on chipping away, possession by possession."

The tension within the organization has reportedly reached "an all-time high," with trade rumors about Antetokounmpo swirling for months. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, "the tension that's in the air within that organization, in that locker room, it's at an all-time high" due to the uncertainty around Giannis’ future. However, with the star now expected to be out for at least four to six weeks—and possibly until after the All-Star break—speculation about a blockbuster trade may cool off, at least temporarily. The Bucks’ front office has maintained it won’t trade Antetokounmpo unless he requests it, and Giannis himself has stated, "that’s not in my nature."

With the February 5 trade deadline looming and the team’s playoff hopes fading, Milwaukee may be forced to reconsider its strategy. General manager Jon Horst had been hunting for win-now upgrades, but Giannis’ injury could prompt a shift toward a youth movement and a focus on the upcoming draft. The Bucks don’t control their own 2026 first-round pick outright, but will receive the lesser of their pick and the New Orleans Pelicans’ selection. With the Pelicans currently near the bottom of the standings, both picks could hold significant value.

For now, the Bucks’ immediate future is clouded with uncertainty. Can they stay afloat in the Eastern Conference while their superstar recovers? Will the chemistry issues and mounting losses force a dramatic shakeup? Or will Giannis’ determination and work ethic inspire another late-season push?

As the Bucks await the results of Antetokounmpo’s MRI and brace for several weeks without their leader, one thing is clear: the road ahead just got a whole lot bumpier in Milwaukee.