Giannis Antetokounmpo sprains wrist; All-Star status unclear

CHICAGO — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo exited in the second quarter of Thursday’s 112-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls with a sprained right wrist and did not return.

Antetokounmpo injured his wrist after running into the stanchion while attempting to block a shot at the rim from Bulls guard Coby White. After checking out of the game, he was holding his right wrist on the sidelines before heading back to the locker room.

X-rays on Antetokounmpo’s wrist came back negative, according to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who said the initial reports on the injury were minor.

Budenholzer added that he was not sure about Antetokounmpo’s status for All-Star Weekend. In addition to being a team captain and starter for Sunday’s All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo is scheduled to coach the celebrity all-star game with his brothers on Friday and compete in the skills competition during All-Star Saturday night.

“We’ll just see how he feels tomorrow, see how he feels the next few days and continue to evaluate it,” Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo scored two points, grabbed seven rebounds and made three assists in nine minutes, including an assist to Jevon Carter in the first quarter that made him the all-time leader in assists in Bucks history.

Antetokounmpo closes out the season’s first half as the first player in NBA history to average 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists on 50% shooting at the All-Star break, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Despite Antetokounmpo’s injury, the Bucks extended their winning streak to 12 games with a win over the Bulls, which ties the Brooklyn Nets for the longest winning streak in the NBA this season. Milwaukee is the fifth team in NBA history to enter the All-Star break on a winning streak of at least 12 games, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Three of the previous four teams went on to reach the NBA Finals.

“It feels good,” Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. “We have the confidence, we have the rhythm, hopefully we can keep it coming out of the break.”