Giannis Antetokounmpo could play Thursday after ankle sprain

Just one game after losing rookie Jabari Parker for the season, the Milwaukee Bucks weren't going to risk injury to another young star.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to continue playing after spraining his left ankle in the first half of the team's game Wednesday, but after it was re-taped, the decision was made to hold the Greek sophomore out for the second half.

That caution may extend to Thursday, but the team is not yet ruling Antetokounmpo out for their game against the Sacramento Kings, saying he'll test it out and decide from there.

Antetokounmpo copped to being scared initially when he fell, clutching the ankle, and said it didn't feel right when he tried to run at halftime.

"I don't like missing games," he said. "I'll try my best tomorrow. Even if I'm not 100 percent there, I'll try my best for my team."

He's not lying that he doesn't like missing games, having appeared in 77 of 82 outings a season ago and with no injury ink on his ledger this season. In 26 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the floor, backing up the claims of those who identified him as a potential breakout player.