"Long way to get up to Dame": Khris Middleton hilariously benchmarks Damian Lillard after recording 12,000th career point
Khris Middleton just registered his season-high of 27 points as the Milwaukee Bucks scored a win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road, 144-122. In addition to best scoring output so far this season, he was also able to reach a milestone by joining the 12,000-point club in the NBA.
The three-time NBA All-Star is looking like his prime self as aside from the 27-point performance, he also had 10 assists, three rebounds, three triples and one block. He also shot accurately sinking 11 of his 18 field goal attempts.
During his post-game interview, when asked about accomplishing 12,000 points in the NBA, Middleton added humor by reminding basketball fans that teammate Damian Lillard just reached 20,000 points less than two weeks ago.
"12,000 is big. Still got a long way to get up to Dame, but I'm proud of myself for that," said Middleton.
In the win against the Nets, Damian Lillard just had 12 points, four assists, three rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the best player for the Bucks leading the charge with 32 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. The 'Greek Freak' also shot 10-of-12 from the field.
Khris Middleton getting back his groove after an injury-riddled season
The 2022-23 NBA season was indeed a nightmare for Khris Middleton as he only played 33 games to average a subpar 15.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks. His presence was sorely missed by his team during the first round of the playoffs as the team was upset by the Miami Heat.
So far, Khris Middleton has played 26 games but his injury management has made him miss five games. Nonetheless, the former Texas A&M Aggie feels better after tallying his season-high in points.
"I'm feeling great-- my legs are coming back," said Middleton. "We are playing better team basketball. [We] just got to figure the defensive end so I think we are still trending in the right direction."
After an impressive performance against Nets, the 32-year-old averages 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the 2023-24 season.
The Milwaukee Bucks improved to a 23-8 record and trails the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference standings by just one game. Their last game of 2023 is scheduled on December 29 as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.