RealGM Basketball Wiretap

20 April 2024

• RealGM Radio: Seth Partnow On The Playoffs (Apr 2024)

  Host Danny Leroux and Seth Partnow of The Athletic preview the NBA playoffs.

  They break down which series they are most excited for, which are the toughest to call, key match-ups and much more.

  Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed.

• Damian Lillard Returns To Practice On Wednesday

  Damian Lillard returned to practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday's practice with a sore left adductor.

  Lillard missed last Friday's regular season game with the injury.

  Doc Rivers said he expected Lillard to continue to practice on Friday.

  "I'm assuming. I would be surprised [if he doesn't practice]. I'll put it that way," said Rivers.

  The Bucks will already be without Giannis Antetokounmpo at the start of their series against the Pacers.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Not Expected To Play At Start Of First Round

  Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to be ready for the start of the Milwaukee Bucks' first round series against the Indiana Pacers due to his left calf strain.

  The Bucks are hopeful that Antetokounmpo will be able to return during the series based on his ongoing treatment.

  Antetokounmpo was also limited during the Bucks' first round series last season against the Miami Heat due to a back issue.

• NBA Playoffs 2024: Eastern Conference First Round Matchups

  The Eastern Conference seeds are set following the end of regular season on Sunday. The first round begins on Saturday, April 20th.

  First Round Matchups

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 (Sixers, Heat, Bulls or Hawks)

  • No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 (Sixers or Heat)

  • No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers

  • No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic

  Play-In

  • No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat

  • No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Out For Regular Season With Calf Injury

  Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season due to a calf injury.

  An MRI showed no damage to Antetokounmpo's left Achilles tendon.

  "Yeah, I'm hoping. I don't know. I'm just hoping," said Doc Rivers when asked if Antetokounmpo would be ready for the playoffs.

  The Bucks will begin the playoffs on Saturday, April 20th or Sunday, April 21st.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo MRI Shows No Damage To Achilles

  Giannis Antetokounmpo avoided damage to his left Achilles tendon after undergoing an MRI following Tuesday's win over the Boston Celtics.

  Antetokounmpo left the game with a non-contact injury that was initially diagnosed as a calf strain.

  Calf strains typically have a one to two week timetable before return.

  The Bucks will begin the playoffs on Saturday, April 20th or Sunday, April 21st.

• Celtics-Bucks Combine For Record-Low Two Free Throw Attempts

  The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics made NBA history by combining for a record-low two free throw attempts in the entire game.

  The Celtics also are the first team in history to not shoot a single free throw throughout an entire game.

  Giannis Antetokounmpo shot the only two free throws in the game for the Bucks, who won 104-91.

  "I thought it was a physical game, and then they handed me the stat sheet, and I told them, 'No, I need the full game. I thought it was the halftime stats. I didn't look at the minutes. And then I said, 'Wow, two free throws for a basketball game. That's crazy,'" said Doc Rivers after the game.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Diagnosed With Left Calf Strain Following Non-Contact Injury

  Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a left calf strain during the Milwaukee Bucks' 104-91 win over the Boston Celtics. Antetokounmpo will undergo an MRI on the injury.

  Antetokounmpo suffered the injury while heading up the court as he fell to the floor without contact while grabbing his left leg.

  Antetokounmpo entered the game questionable with left hamstring tendinopathy before being upgraded to probable.

• Doc Rivers Holds Film Session With Bucks' Veterans To Assess Struggles

  As the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled this week, Doc Rivers held a film session on Saturday with the team's top nine rotation players in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Beasley, Bobby Portis, Patrick Beverley, Pat Connaughton and Jae Crowder.

  Rivers gave each player the opportunity to speak their mind on what they have been seeing and what they believe is needed for the team to operate moving forward.

  "It's only the start of these tough and necessary conversations," one source described the session.

  The Bucks lost at home to the New York Knicks on Sunday following their losses last week to the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors.

  Despite the struggles, Milwaukee's veterans still believe in their capacity to win a title this season.

  "I mean, as crazy as it might sound, I feel good," Lillard said. "Obviously, I hate how the last two weeks or so, however long it's been, has gone. It's uncomfortable and it's frustrating to lose games that we should win and then have a game like tonight where we start off playing well and then have a bad third quarter and get those guys believing and then they take over the game. But when I look around the locker room, I just feel good about it.

  "I see Giannis, Khris, Bobby and Brook and Jae and Pat, Beas. When I look around, I just have a true belief in what we have, our experience, how long we've been around. And I know that sometimes it gets dark. This league is a tough league. Sometimes you have hard times. And I think that's what it is for us. And when this kind of stuff happens, everybody's going to say how bad it is. And 'This is the problem.' (or) 'They gotta do this; they gotta do that.' But when you just keep fighting in these situations, you never know when it's going to turn.

  "That's why you gotta stay together, you gotta keep believing. And these are the moments where you find out who's a real one and who's not, because everybody's going to be saying negative stuff and how wrong it is and how bad it is, and you can fold or not fold. That's what we're going to learn about ourselves going into the playoffs, based on the experience that we having right now."

• Khris Middleton Exits Bucks' Loss After Losing Tooth

  Khris Middleton left the Milwaukee Bucks' 122-109 loss to the New York Knicks after getting hit in the mouth in the second quarter.

  Middleton lost a tooth and went to a dentist after the game, according to Doc Rivers.

  "You just feel bad for him. The guy can't catch a break," said Rivers.

  Sunday's game was just the fourth time in the last 29 games that the Bucks had Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard available in the lineup at the same time.