NBA

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton practiced fully yesterday as the Bucks gear up for what they hope is a deep playoff run

Bucks forward Khris Middleton says 'rehab is tougher than playing'

The Milwaukee Bucks finished the season one game ahead of the Boston Celtics in the standings to earn the #1 seed in the East. Their opponent in the first round will be determined tonight when the Chicago Bulls travel to Miami to play the Heat for the #8 seed. Yesterday, Bucks’ SF Khris Middleton practiced fully and that’s exactly what fans wanted to hear. He averaged (20.0) points per game in 69 career playoff appearances. Milwaukee would love to have that kind of production from him this postseason. 

Middleton battled through injuries in the regular season and was limited to only 33 games played with 19 starts. The Bucks know how unstoppable they can be when the three-time all-star is healthy and playing to his full potential. He averaged (23.6) points per game in Milwaukee’s championship run to an NBA title in 2021.

NBA betting sites have the Bucks at (+275) to win the Finals this season.

Milwaukee knows they can make a deep postseason run with a healthy Khris Middleton

Khris Middleton missed Milwaukee’s final two games of the regular season to rehab a knee injury that has been giving him trouble all season. The good news is that he practiced fully yesterday and that should have him at full strength for Game 1 on Sunday.

In 33 games played this season he averaged (15.1) points and (24.3) minutes played. That was the lowest average points per season since the 2014-15 season. Milwaukee should have Middleton fully ready to go on Sunday with no restrictions. However, the team is still dealing with some nagging injuries to some of their rotation players.

Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton are both recovering from ankle sprains and were limited in their practice yesterday. Allen missed Milwaukee’s final four games of the regular season and Connaughton missed the last three in a row. There is still some time for them to heal up and be ready to go for Game 1 on Sunday.