Khris Middleton is expected to miss Eastern Conference semifinal series vs the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The Bucks defeated the Bulls Wednesday night to clinch their place in the next round of the playoffs.
“He’ll get that reevaluation at the 14-day two-week point next week, but I’m told the injury is expected to keep him out longer than that,” Wojnarowski said. “They may have to get through another series, a conference semifinal, before they may have the opportunity to get Khris Middleton back in this season.”
During Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls, Middleton suffered the injury, sitting out the remainder of the game after leaving during the fourth quarter. He was later diagnosed with a left MCL sprain and the Bucks ruled him out for at least two weeks.
In two games during the 2022 playoffs, Middleton has averaged 14.5 PPG, 7.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 36 minutes per game. In 66 regular-season games, Middleton averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
The Bucks won three consecutive games vs Chicago to end the series in five. The Bulls split the first two games, but, Milwaukee outplayed them in the next three. The Bucks will open their second-round series against the Celtics on Sunday at the TD Garden.
With Middleton out, Mike Budenholzer re-inserted Bobby Portis on the starting lineup as the Bucks put up a sizable starting five. Size will be the key in the series vs Boston, considering that the Celtics are also having a versatile group of players.
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