Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report (Dec. 11): Latest on Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder’s status
The Milwaukee Bucks (15-7) return to action on Monday when they host the Chicago Bulls (9-14) at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks failed to win the inaugural edition of the NBA In-Season Tournament after losing to the Indiana Pacers in the semi-final (128-119) and now shift their attention to their coming regular-season games.
Milwaukee will have Pat Connaughton unavailable due to a right ankle sprain, while Chris Livingston is also out with a left ankle sprain. Veteran forward Jae Crowder remains sidelined after undergoing a left adductor surgery.
Khris Middleton is not part of the injury report, which means that he will be in the lineup on Monday, joining fellow superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Bucks trail East leaders, the Boston Celtics, by 1.5 games in the standings (16-5).
On the other hand, the Bulls continue to play without Zach LaVine (right foot inflammation), while Alex Caruso is questionable with a left ankle sprain. Chicago will look to extend its winning streak to five games and come closer to the top 10 in the East.
Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton says he gets better day after day following offseason knee surgery
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to be cautious with the condition of Khris Middleton after his offseason knee surgery. The All-Star forward has missed three games this season due to injury management, but he recently revealed that he is in great condition and is getting better every day.
"I think we’re still on the same time frame. Each day, each week has been a step in the right direction; there have been no setbacks besides that one rare game that I had to miss, but other than that been feeling great trying to get my legs underneath me, trying to get the flow of the game," Khris Middleton said, via Sports Illustrated.
Middleton has appeared in 18 games so far and is averaging 12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.1 apg, on 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are still trying to recover from their In-Season Tournament elimination and the loss to the Pacers. As such, Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to see his team regroup and get back on track.
"We have to come together as a team. This is Game 22. We have 60 more games. We've got to keep on coming together as a team. We've got to keep on spending time together. We've got to keep watching film together. We have to keep getting on the court together," Antetokounmpo said, via Sports Illustrated.
Following the addition of Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks aim at nothing but the championship, but they seek more consistency moving forward.