Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that he felt rusty upon his return to action for the Milwaukee Bucks, but relished the chance of being back on the court. 

Antetokounmpo, who had missed the last 15 games with a calf strain, finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes in the Bucks' 108-81 defeat to the Boston Celtics.

Milwaukee fell to 15-16 with Antetokounmpo in the line-up this season and are 11-18 without him, with the Bucks now 26-34 for the season and 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Ousmane Dieng was the only other Milwaukee starter in double figures, scoring 13 points, while Bobby Portis finished with 12 off the bench for Doc Rivers' side. 

However, Antetokounmpo was not fazed by the result, but more focused on his personal return to the line-up. 

"I'm just happy that I'm on the court," Antetokounmpo said. "It doesn't matter if I play 18 minutes, 20 minutes, 22, whatever, I'm just happy that I'm out there.

"Obviously, I did not play well tonight.

"But at the end of the day, I'm just happy that I'm out there being able to help my team-mates in any way that I can and just do what I love, which is play basketball."

Tonight's player of the game. pic.twitter.com/0qZPOC7P0B

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 3, 2026

Antetokounmpo also missed 12 games in November and December due to a groin and calf strain.

He was the biggest name on the trading block ahead of this year's trade deadline, but Milwaukee opted to keep him through at least the remainder of the season.

Despite his injuries, Antetokounmpo was also still voted to his 10th All-Star Game in February with averages of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 30 contests.

Antetokounmpo said he had grown accustomed to returning early from injuries, most notably in the 2021 playoffs, when he sustained a right knee injury in the conference finals.

Their involvement in the postseason is at risk this year, with the Bucks three and a half games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the conference's final play-in spot. 

Antetokounmpo did not, however, want to discuss the Bucks' playoff chances. 

"Right now, to be honest with you, I'm just happy that I'm out there," Antetokounmpo added. 

"I've dealt with three injuries this year, and I'm just happy that I'm doing what I love. We got 24 games left. It's 24 fights."