By: Nina Cray

Recent reports have been circulating in regard to the injury Khris Middleton received during a loss in game 2 of the first-round series against the Bulls.
The consensus? Middleton, with a grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, is not expected to play in the series against the Boston Celtics. If Milwaukee can eliminate the Celtics, we may not see Middleton in the Eastern Conference Finals either.
The defending-champion Bucks lost the game where the injury occurred, but eliminated the Bulls by winning the next three, sealing their spot in the series with the Celtics on Wednesday April 27th with a 116-100 victory.
Middleton was a critical component of the Buck’s success this season, as well as an integral part of their Championship win in last year’s finals.
Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has been utilizing the depth of the Bucks roster with players like Grayson Allen stepping up – he should continue to see increased playing time.
Budenholzer said they miss Khris, but they are capable of competing because of the depth their roster has.
“…I don’t think anybody underestimates how important, how effective he is for us. But while we don’t have him, we have to be our best all up and down the roster.”
Milwaukee is tied (1-1) with the Boston Celtics now, their next game — game 3 of the series — being Saturday, May 7th at 3:30PM.
Sources:
Herbert, James. April 28th, 2022. CBS Sports. Khris Middleton injury update: Bucks star to miss Celtics series with Grade 2 MCL sprain, per report. <https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/khris-middleton-injury-update-bucks-star-to-miss-celtics-series-with-grade-2-mcl-sprain-per-report/>
Wells, Adam. April 28th, 2022. Bleacher Report. Report: Bucks’ Khris Middleton Set to Miss Entire Celtics Series with Knee Injury.