Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks forward, hopes that two weeks will be enough to heal from his left knee injury and get back to his job helping his team win the NBA championship.
If the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls in round one of the playoffs, the three-time All-Star could be back in Eastern Conference semifinals. After the teams split their first two games in Milwaukee, the series is tied. Game 3 took place Friday night in Chicago.
Middleton stated that “they say two weeks”, during the morning shootaround. “Hopefully, I will be ready or close enough to getting back on court around then.”
Middleton left Game 2 at 6:49 on Wednesday and headed to the locker area. When he attempted to spin, his left leg gave up. DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points, but the Bulls won 114-110.
Mike Budenholzer, Coach, stated that Middleton had injured the medial collateral ligament. On Thursday, an MRI confirmed the diagnosis. The team confirmed that Middleton would be receiving daily treatment and would update his status in two weeks.
He will likely miss the rest of the first-round series. If it goes the full seven, it would be May 1.
Budenholzer stated, “We have a lot of great players.” We’ve discussed the quality and depth of the roster. This is why you do it. The front office assembled a fantastic team.”
It is a huge blow to a team that was trying to be the champion again since Golden State in 2017-2018. He averaged 20.1 points per game and was named to his third All-Star team.
Last year’s Eastern Conference finals saw Milwaukee overcome by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s knee injury. They won the final two games against Atlanta, with Middleton leading. He scored 26 and 32 points in Game 5, respectively, in the series final.
After losing the first two games to Phoenix, Milwaukee won the fourth four and captured its second championship. This was the first since 1971.
Budenholzer stated that there are reference points. These can be either things that are frustrating or disappointing that you want to learn or positives. “Certainly, our team, and our group, know that we played without Giannis in a few games last year. They know you have to win the playoffs. We feel that we are capable of that.
