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

He was expected to play until about an hour before the game. The team had Antetokounmpo listed as likely with a left calf strain, before the knee problem clearly reared its ugly head.

“I never know,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said about 90 minutes before the game and moments after the team said there was a problem with the knee. “To be honest, that is also the latest news for me at the moment.”

The Bucks defeated Miami 106-103 with Damian Lillard leading the way with 37 points and 12 assists. Milwaukee defeated Miami 60-30 from three-point range.

Rivers was told Antetokounmpo was out about an hour before the game, then met with coaches and adjusted the game plan accordingly. Even after the game, Rivers still wasn’t clear on what had happened and what was flaring up Antetokounmpo’s knee.

“Giannis doesn’t miss many games,” Rivers said. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it was the right thing to do.”

Milwaukee doesn’t play again until it hosts Washington on Saturday. The NBA — under its player participation policy that went into effect last season — has a rule that states that “unless a team demonstrates an approved reason for why a star player is not participating in a game,” it must have the star players “for all national players”. television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.”

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, clearly qualifies as a star player by the league’s definition, and the Miami game was nationally televised on TNT as well as an NBA Cup game. The league fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 earlier Tuesday for violating policy by holding Trae Young out of a Nov. 12 Cup game against Boston after an investigation determined 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 even be a league investigation. The eight-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 32.4 points on 61% shooting this season, and he has played in 16 of Milwaukee’s first 17 games.

“Listen, the way he plays and the way he works, there’s going to be things like this,” Rivers said. “And when they come, you just have to tackle them.”

Middleton plays 5v5

Khris Middleton, Milwaukee’s three-time All-Star forward who has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles, is on track for a return by getting some 5-on-5 work on the practice floor .

But there appears to be no timetable for a return to matches.

“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 on the floor, but I can’t tell you when that will happen.”

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

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

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