Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report (Jan. 14): Will Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton play back-to-back nights?
Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton stand out as key teammates surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks. While both players have been valuable contributors, they find themselves at a stage in their careers where prioritizing their health becomes crucial for sustaining high-level performance in the NBA.
Up next on the Milwaukee Bucks schedule are the Sacramento Kings on January 14, a day after they picked up a win over the Golden State Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Kings have not defeated the Bucks in their last 10 games
Khris Middleton is ruled out after foot injury and most recent injury report by the Milwaukee Bucks indicate Jae Crowder is the only player sidelined as he is expected to return by the end of January. This means that all other players including Damian Lillard and are all available to play against the Kings.
What happened to Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton?
So far this 2023-24 season, Damian Lillard has only missed three games. The most recent one was against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 8 and that was due to personal reasons. The other two games that Lillard missed were due to a calf injury.
Meanwhile, Khris Middleton has been on injury management this season since he missed a lot of games in the year that the Bucks defended their title. The last time he missed a game was back on December 16 as he needed to rest.
Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton's stats vs Sacramento Kings
This is going to be the first time that the Milwaukee Bucks face the Sacramento Kings for this 2023-24 season. Damian Lillard was not yet part of the Bucks roster back on March 13 which was the last time this team faced the Kings. Khris Middleton was not able to play as well due to an injury.
In this season, Lillard has provided the Bucks 25.1 points, 6.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 35% from the three-point line in 36 games. Meanwhile, Khris Middleton does 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 34 appearances.
On the tail end of a back-to-back game, both Lillard and Middleton are looking good as the Bucks are confident that both veteran players can sustain the pressure on their bodies despite having a long list of injuries for their respective careers.
The Milwaukee Bucks are entering this matchup with a record of 27-12 and sit second in the NBA Eastern Conference. This team is three games behind the league-leading Boston Celtics and two games above the Philadelphia 76ers.