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 MVP, is obviously considered a star player by league definition, and the game in Miami was broadcast nationally on TNT as well as an NBA Cup game. The league fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 on Tuesday for violating policy by excluding Trae Young from a Cup game against Boston on Nov. 12 after an investigation found he should have can play.

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 season and 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, just take care of them.”

Middleton plays 5-on-5

Khris Middleton, Milwaukee’s three-time All-Star forward who hasn’t played yet this season after undergoing surgery on both ankles in the offseason, is preparing for a return by going 5-on-5 on the practice court -Training completed.

However, there appears to be no timetable for a return to games.

“He’s not ready to play yet, but he’s working hard,” Rivers said Tuesday. “He played 5-on-5. We did some of that. The next steps will be put into action, but I can’t tell you when that will happen.”

Rivers noted that Middleton has been playing 4-on-4 for some time and cautioned against reading too much into the 5-on-5 work.

“I don’t know what the difference is,” Rivers said. “We added a guy so I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. The key is we just try to get him back on the ground. He has to go through the process.”

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