Bucks Eliminated: 9-Year Playoff Streak Ends in Spurs Rout
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- Milwaukee Bucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 127-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, ending the NBA's second-longest active postseason streak at nine straight appearances (behind Boston's 11).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his sixth straight game due to a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise and has played only 36 games this season, the core reason the Bucks have dropped nine of their past 11.
- The National Basketball Players Association released a statement appearing to call out the Bucks for wanting to shut Antetokounmpo down for the season, tying his status to league-wide debates over tanking and the player participation policy.
- San Antonio Spurs won their eighth straight game and 13th of their past 14, climbing within two games of the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference standings.
- Stephon Castle posted a triple-double with 22 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds while MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama added 23 points, 15 rebounds and six assists to power the rout.
Why it matters: The Bucks' elimination ends the NBA's second-longest active postseason streak and turns the Giannis health saga into a flashpoint for the league's player participation policy debate, with the NBPA publicly going at the team. The Spurs' eighth straight win — led by a Castle triple-double and 23 from Wembanyama — has them within two games of OKC for the West's No. 1 seed.
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