Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, drives past Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
TORONTO — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo needed three stitches to close a cut near the base of his right pinkie against Toronto on Monday night, and returned to the game to finish his fourth triple-double of the season.
Antetokounmpo banged his finger on the rim while trying to chase down RJ Barrett’s fast-break dunk late in the second quarter. He finished with 11 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in a 128-104 road win over the struggling Raptors.
“I’m fine,” Antetokounmpo said afterward. “My finger is kind of numb, but I’m fine. I played the second half. It’s just stitches. I’m not going to overthink it.”
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Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s leading scorer, 31.6 points.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said the cut bothered Antetokounmpo, but not enough for him to leave the game.
“He didn’t want to come out because he felt like he could finish, but it kept bleeding,” Rivers said. “He definitely was effective, but you could see it really hurt his ball handling a little bit.”
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Antetokounmpo played just over 18 minutes in the first half and then sat out the fourth quarter after playing all but 34 seconds in the third.
Rivers said he wasn’t concerned about Antetokounmpo’s status for Wednesday’s home game against San Antonio.
“I think he’s good,” Rivers said.