View the original article to see embedded media.
Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton will reportedly miss the rest of the first round after suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee during Game 2, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Middleton, 30, sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s loss to the Bulls. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Wojnarowski noted.
Thursday’s news would place Middleton in a return window outside of the Bucks–Bulls series, which is currently tied at 1–1. If the series goes the distance, Game 7 would be held on Sunday, May 1, 11 days after Game 2.
Middleton’s injury leaves a major void in Milwaukee’s lineup, and adds more than a few hurdles on the defending champion’s road to a repeat. The three-time All-Star nearly matched his 2021 output in the regular season, averaging 20.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 5.4 APG on 44% shooting.
His role as a secondary scorer and primary perimeter defender has been pivotal to the success of Mike Budenholzer’s squads in recent seasons. His presence on both ends of the floor changes the dynamic of the Bucks offense, and his absence places more onus on Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. to figure out ways to compensate for the loss while trying to contain DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine.
Despite a slow offensive start to these playoffs from Middleton (29 total points on 10-of-24 shots in Games 1–2), the Bucks split their home games entering Friday’s Game 3. They will now look to take a series lead in Chicago with the star forward sidelined for the foreseeable future.
