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Bucks rule out Giannis for Game 5 vs. Hawks

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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks, the team said Thursday.

Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextended left knee during Game 4 on Tuesday and had been listed as doubtful for Thursday night’s game. An MRI showed no structural damage or ligament damage, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe on Wednesday.

Sources said a timetable for Antetokounmpo’s return is unclear.

The series is tied 2-2.

Antetokounmpo has been averaging 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the postseason.

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young and center Clint Capela have both been listed as questionable for Thursday night’s game.

Young missed Game 4 because of a bone bruise in his right foot. Capela’s right eye is inflamed after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face late in Game 4.

Antetokounmpo left Game 4 against the Hawks with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left leg while contesting an alley-oop to Capela from John Collins.

The two-time MVP immediately fell to the floor and stayed down on the ground for several minutes — with Bucks and Hawks players and coaches surrounding him — before sitting up and being helped to his feet.

The Bucks haven’t indicated how they might adjust their starting lineup without Antetokounmpo. When Antetokounmpo was unavailable during the regular season, the Bucks moved Bobby Portis or Pat Connaughton into the starting lineup.

“It’s not something where you … need to consciously think, ‘I need to do more,'” Connaughton said after Thursday’s shootaround. “It’s just you’re ready for opportunities as they arise. Throughout the season, one of the, I would say, beautiful things about our team is you’re called to do different things on different nights.”

Milwaukee went 6-5 during the regular seasons in games missed by Antetokounmpo.

“We talk about ball movement and people movement and playing free, playing organically,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Wednesday. “… We’ve got a lot of talent, so I think just let the guys play. Put them in a comfort level and put them in a comfortable spot and let them go play basketball, not over-complicated.

“We’ve played games without Giannis, without Khris [Middleton], without Jrue [Holiday], without whoever it may be, and so hopefully you have a structure and a system where you can function at a high level on both ends of the court no matter who is playing.”

ESPN’s Malika Andrews and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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