NBA superstar leaves NBA with heart in its mouth after ‘scary’ injury

The NBA has its heart in its mouth after superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo took a graphic fall in Atlanta’s Game 4 slaughter.

Giannis goes down with a knee injury. Photo: Kayo.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken a graphic fall where his knee appeared to hyper-extend as the thrilling Milwaukee-Atlanta series took another dramatic turn on Wednesday.

Antetokounmpo had to be helped from the court after his left leg buckled underneath him while competing for a rebound early in the third quarter.

Replays showed the Bucks superstar twisted forward in horrific fashion.

He stayed down on the ground after the play and was immediately clutching at his left knee in pain as teammates and medical staff gathered around him. Veteran NBA TV broadcaster Marv Albert described it as a “scary” injury.

It was the lowest moment for the Bucks as the Hawks produced a shooting clinic to win Game 4 110-88.

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Giannis goes down with a knee injury. Photo: Kayo.

Giannis’ injury was a nail in the Bucks’ coffin.

After an extended break in play, he was helped down to the locker room for treatment.

He was spotted just minutes later walking without anyone helping to support his weight.

He even made his way back to sit on the bench courtside before again being taken back to the dressing room. The Bucks confirmed early in the fourth quarter he would not return for the rest of the game as a result of the hyper-extension.

There were fears he has likely suffered a season-ending injury.

Giannis appears to have suffered a serious knee injury after this awkward landing 🙏 pic.twitter.com/0in8nooI6s

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) June 30, 2021

It was a devastating blow for the Bucks and the team fell apart after he exited the game.

The Hawks put on a shooting clinic to close out the third quarter, scoring 15 of the next 17 points after Antetokounmpo’s injury.

It was Bogdan Bogdanovic who caught fire for Atlanta, hitting six three-pointers.

Atlanta took an 87-62 lead into the fourth quarter and the home crowd was rocking as the Hawks charged to level the series at 2-2.

The Bucks never looked like making a late charge and trailed 104-82 with three minutes to play.

The crowd was earlier going bananas as Antetokounmpo was psyched out into putting up two free-throw airballs.

Hawks fans go wild after Giannis airballs a FT 🗣 pic.twitter.com/azDx5J17Uq

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 30, 2021

The famously-poor free throw shooter failed to hit the rim with his shots from the charity stripe — and it prompted a raucous response from the Atlanta crowd.

Game 5 will be played in Milwaukee on Friday.