Giannis Antetokounmpo injury: What’s next after Bucks star leaves All-Star game?

The fate of the Eastern Conference playoff race could hinge heavily on what comes next for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his injured wrist.

The Milwaukee Bucks star went into NBA All-Star Weekend with concerns about his wrist already present and left Sunday night’s All-Star Game after just 20 seconds. Now, with the Bucks trailing the Boston Celtics by a half-game in the East, the question now moves to when the two-time MVP will return to the court for full action.

As of Monday, Antetokounmpo reportedly isn’t heading to Milwaukee just yet for the team’s matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday. According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Antetokounmpo is traveling to New York to undergo further tests on his wrist.

Antetokounmpo initially injured his wrist in Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bulls and did not return in that game. The All-Star captain played briefly in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, recording a dunk before taking a foul and heading to the bench.

After the game, Antetokounmpo offered few hints about his injury stats.

“Taking it day by day, try to get healthy,” Antetokounmpo said, per the Associated Press. “You know, obviously I had the incident three days ago. I don’t think it’s smart in any way to, you know, play a lot of minutes in the All-Star Game. At the end of the day, obviously, you want to participate, you want to run up and down, joke around, have some dunks, create some work. But at the end of the day, I feel you also have to be mature.”

Antetokounmpo added that he hopes to be available when the Bucks need him Milwaukee has a pair of home games this weekend, starting with the Heat on Friday and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.