The Milwaukee Bucks face one of the toughest tests of their season on Thursday as they try to win Game 5 on the Celtics' home floor. Charles Barkley shared his thoughts on the matchup during TNT's pre-game broadcast and the Hall of Famer has just slapped Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. with some harsh reality.
According to Barkley, the Bucks have been struggling without Khris Middleton in the mix and this could be the case again on Wednesday night:
“As great as Giannis is and this is going to come off the wrong way, but (Khris) Middleton is their best one-on-one player,” Barkley said (h/t Christopher Kuhagen of the milwaukee journal sentinel). “… He’s their closer. They're missing their closer.”
Middleton has been out of action for the Bucks since Game 3of their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. The All-Star forward has been dealing with an MCL sprain on his left knee and while he has been making steady progress on his road to recovery, Milwaukee has yet to provide a timetable for his return.
Middleton could be back for the Bucks for the Eastern Conference Finals, but at this point, they aren't even sure if they're going to get past the Celtics. Giannis will need to carry his team without his partner-in-crime and to say that it will be a major challenge for him against this Celtics side is an understatement.
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