Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks is out with knee swelling

Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.4 points this season and has played in 16 of Milwaukee’s first 17 games.

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MIAMI (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league’s leading scorer this season, unexpectedly left the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Cup game at the Miami Heat on Tuesday night because of swelling in his left knee.

He was expected to play until about an hour before the game. The team had listed Antetokounmpo as likely to have a left calf strain, and then apparent knee issues arose.

“I never know,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said about 90 minutes before the game began and shortly after the team said there was a problem with the knee. “Honestly, this is news to me at the moment too.”

Milwaukee doesn’t play again until it hosts Washington on Saturday. The NBA has a rule – under the Player Participation Policy that went into effect last season – that “unless a team demonstrates an accepted reason for a star player not participating in a game,” it must retain star players “for all national teams.” have television and NBA in-season tournament games.”

Antetokounmpo, a two-time Kia MVP, is obviously considered a star player by league definitionand the Miami game was broadcast nationally on TNT as well as an NBA Cup game. The league fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 earlier Tuesday for violating policy by excluding Trae Young from a Cup game against Boston on Nov. 12 after an investigation concluded he could have played.

Antetokounmpo — the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, an award he has won 24 times — not playing against the Heat doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a league investigation at all. The eight-time All-Star is averaging a career-best 32.4 points on 61% shooting this seasonand he played in 16 of Milwaukee’s first 17 games.

“Listen, the way he plays and the way he works, there are going to be things like that,” Rivers said. “And when they come, you just take care of them.”