Is Khris Middleton playing tonight against the Brooklyn Nets? Latest on Bucks star's status (Dec. 24)
Khris Middleton will suit up when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Brooklyn Nets at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday. The forward was listed as probable as he continues to work himself back to complete shape as he recovers from his bilateral ankle surgery.
The veteran forward has been playing good minutes in their recent games and led the Bucks in their 112-91 win over the Chicago Bulls. He led with a game-high 21 points, along with five rebounds and as many assists to down the Bulls in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard's absence.
"Want to be out there as much as I can": Khris Middleton stresses the need to play as many games as possible after injury hiatus
Last week, Khris Middleton started for the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time since his injury return. The Bucks have often rested Middleton in back-to-back games to preserve him from injury again. Speaking on Saturday after the game, Middleton spoke of wanting to suit up for as many games as possible. Per The Athletic's Eric Nehm:
"Going through the course of rehab, coming back and playing, and the way that I’ve been responding after games. I thought (Saturday) would be a great shot to see what a back-to-back felt like and hopefully move past that stage where I can’t play in back-to-backs anymore. "I want to be out there as much as I can, and I thought tonight was a great step forward for that."
Middleton has been averaging 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 21.6 minutes per game. Earlier, Bucks coach Rivers spoke about the minutes' restriction.
"The best rhythm from Khris Middleton. Still kept him under 25 (minutes), which was a miracle tonight. At halftime, I think we had used 13 minutes, and I went to (assistant coach) Dave (Joerger) and said, ‘We got a minutes crisis here.’ “But this was the most like Khris that we’ve seen. And on the defensive end, I thought this was the best that he moved. So, I’m sure for Khris’ confidence, a back-to-back — to be able to do that — was pretty big for him."
The Bucks have trended in the right direction and have since been one of the teams to watch out for. Only time will tell if they can chalk up more wins in the games to come and cement their case as bonafide title contenders this season.