Bucks coach Doc Rivers says he anticipates Giannis Antetokounmpo missing about 4 weeks

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers says he anticipates Giannis Antetokounmpo missing about a month as the two-time MVP recovers from a strained right calf.

Initial reports indicated Antetokounmpo would be out two to four weeks. Rivers suggested Friday that it would likely be on the higher end of that timeline.

“Let’s hope he’s back sooner, but I’m going to guess it’s more in the four-week range,” Rivers said before the Bucks’ 116-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rivers emphasized the importance of caution with calf issues to avoid the risk of a player getting hurt more severely.

“And so that may take longer than we want,” Rivers said. “That even may make Giannis frustrated over it. But we’ve just got to try to get that right.”

Rivers said Antetokounmpo won’t travel with the Bucks for their Saturday night game at Detroit but will accompany the team for most of its away contests while he’s out.

“Our thing is, especially because this just happened, with the blood flow, the flights and all that stuff, keep him home,” Rivers said.

The Bucks had another setback Friday when guard AJ Green, who is shooting nearly 50% from 3-point range, bruised his left shoulder in the second quarter. Rivers said Green would be undergoing an MRI on Saturday in Detroit.

Antetokounmpo injured his calf in the opening minutes of a 113-109 home victory over Detroit on Wednesday.

He had just assisted on AJ Green’s layup less than three minutes into the game when he headed back up the court and slipped in the painted area. Antetokounmpo went down, clutched his right leg and eventually was helped up before walking to the locker room.

Rivers said after that game that he believed Antetokounmpo’s injury may have stemmed from contact he made with a Detroit player while driving along the baseline just before passing to Green.

Antetokounmpo entered Friday ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring (28.9), ninth in rebounding (10.1) and 19th in assists (6.1).

The Bucks are 1-6 in games Antetokounmpo has missed this season. They did rally from an 18-point deficit Wednesday against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons with Antetokounmpo only playing the first three minutes.

Friday's game exemplified the Bucks' issues in trying to win without Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee committed 10 first-half turnovers that led to 17 Philadelphia points as the Bucks fell behind by as many as 26 points in the second quarter.

“You can see early on our guards were trying to force the action, and that’s easy to guard," Rivers said after the game. "It really is. That’s a lesson.”

Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. said he didn’t feel as though he was pressing too much early – he attempted only four shots in the first half – but he acknowledged the responsibility everyone has to help pick up the slack while Antetokounmpo is out.

“Me and Ryan (Rollins), we have some shoes to fill while he’s gone,” Porter said. “We all have some shoes to fill.”

Antetokounmpo's injury looked similar to a calf strain that ended Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 season prematurely. Antetokounmpo was heading up the court during an April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics that season when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat on the floor before being helped off the court.

He went on to miss the Bucks’ final three regular-season games as well as their entire six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs that season.

This latest calf injury comes after Antetokounmpo missed four games last month with a left adductor strain. The Bucks lost all four of those games.

Rivers noted that Porter also didn’t play in any of those games while recovering from a knee injury. Porter returned Nov. 29 and is averaging 19.8 points and 5.8 assists this season.

“Now we have ‘Scoot’ (Porter) and Ryan together,” Rivers said. “It’s a different team than it was even three weeks ago or four weeks ago.”

This calf injury occurred the same day ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, had started speaking with the Bucks about the nine-time all-NBA forward’s future and whether he’s best suited to stay in Milwaukee or play elsewhere. Rivers disputed the report and said that “Giannis has never asked to be traded – ever. I can’t make that more clear."

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Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after suffering an injury during the first half an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kylie Bridenhagen)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo prepares to shoot a free throw during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kylie Bridenhagen)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after suffering an injury during the first half an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kylie Bridenhagen)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after suffering an injury during the first half an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kylie Bridenhagen)

HOUSTON (AP) — When Kevin Durant began his NBA career he looked at some of the league's greats as the standard that he hoped to one day reach.

On Friday night against the Phoenix Suns he continued to etch him name among those greats when he joined one of the NBA's elite groups by becoming the eighth player in league history to reach 31,000 career points.

“As you’re coming up into the league you look at these guys as heroes and put them on pedestals, and you look at their accomplishments as sometimes unreachable,” he said. “But then you get on that road to do your thing … and since 2009, 2008 I’ve been focused on being the best player I can be. And they set a standard for each player when they left the league and I try to live up to that standard.”

The 15-time All-Star entered the game needing just four points to reach the mark. He made two free throws for his first points of the night before accomplishing it on a jump shot midway through the first quarter.

They played a highlight reel of Durant on the video board in the arena and posted a graphic congratulating him on reaching 31,000 points during a timeout in the second quarter. When the camera flashed to him on the bench as the crowd applauded, he was too busy talking to a teammate about the game to notice.

The 37-year-old Durant did it in his 1,141st career game, tying the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James for doing it in the third-fewest games behind Michael Jordan (1,011) and Wilt Chamberlain (1,015).

The other players to have scored at least 31,000 points are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.

“I didn’t look at them as something that was out of my realm,” Durant said. “I just felt like, if I locked in and did what I did, I could be mentioned in the same breath as those guys. So that’s the confidence I had, but I knew it was going to be a tough journey.”

Durant, the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, is in his first season with the Rockets after this summer's blockbuster trade from Phoenix.

Houston coach Ime Udoka, who played against Durant in his rookie season, reflected on his career and how he hasn't slowed down.

“He’s learned to adapt, adjust and he’s seen everything and to be able to do this with the longevity at this high level is incredible,” Udoka said.

And Udoka expects this to be one of many more milestones that Durant will accomplish before his storied career ends.

“He’s got a long way to go,” Udoka said. “He’ll pass a few more guys and get a few more thousand — so no biggie there.”

Now that Durant has reached the 31,000-point mark, he's also looking ahead to moving up the list of the NBA's all-time leading scorers. Next up is Chamberlain with 31,419 points.

“I’ve got more to do but I’m grateful to still be playing and hopefully I keep doing this and keep moving up the charts,” Durant said.

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Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant celebrates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Houston, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) celebrates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Houston, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant celebrates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Houston, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Houston, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)