Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, will not be available on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers after headbutting Blake Griffin of the Boston Celtics earlier in the week.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward was suspended without pay by the NBA for one game after his headbutt of Griffin late in the fourth quarter of Milwaukee’s blowout loss to the Celtics on Thursday.
Blake Griffin, #91 of the Boston Celtics, rebounds the ball in the third quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on March 15, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Celtics defeated the Timberwolves 104-102. (David Berding/Getty Images)
Antetokounmpo was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game after a hard foul by Griffin with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.
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Antetokounmpo averages just 4.2 minutes per game for the first-place Bucks.
Milwaukee entered Thursday night’s contest with Boston with an opportunity to essentially lock up the one-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, #43 of the Milwaukee Bucks, reacts after scoring during the second half of the game against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum on February 24, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (John Fisher/Getty Images)
Instead, the Celtics ran Milwaukee off its home floor, holding a 49-point lead at one point and winning 140-99.
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“We know what the deal is,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “If you’re not focused, and you don’t play hard, they are going to kick our (butt). Simple as that. There is no level of concern. It’s a fact. If we play the same way, we’ll have the same outcome. We’ve got to have some pride.”
Boston made 22 of 43 shots from beyond the three-point line and earned the tiebreaker over Milwaukee with the win.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, #43 of the Milwaukee Bucks, looks on against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center on February 16, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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“It does matter,” Brown said about the possibility of earning the No. 1 seed. “We want to finish out the season strong and see what happens.”
Milwaukee holds a 1.5-game lead over the Celtics as the NBA prepares to enter its final week of the regular season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.