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The Milwaukee Bucks suffered two losses on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. Not only did they endure a stunning 114-110 defeat in Game 2 of their first-round series, but they lost star Khris Middleton to an MCL sprain.
It's still yet to be determined how much time Middleton will miss. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is hoping for the best:
Giannis expressed concern teammate Khris Middleton, who injured his left knee in the third quarter and will have an MRI on Thursday. "It's tough. I know that feeling. You're expecting the worst and hope for the best. He knows we are by his side… I'm going to pray for the best."
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) April 21, 2022
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Middleton left the game midway through the fourth quarter when he planted awkwardly on a spin move. The Bucks star tried to stay in the game but couldn't and wound up going to the locker room, never to return. Milwaukee made a late push, only to fall short.
The defending champions are still the favorite in this series, but the Bucks should be sweating a bit now. They were in danger of losing Game 1 after running up a 16-point lead early and then actually lost Game 2, losing home-court advantage in the process. Now they face the prospect of possibly being without Middleton on the road in Chicago, and perhaps longer.
Giannis will surely be up for this challenge after a tough loss. He was dominant in Game 2, putting up 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in the loss. He almost single-handedly brought the Bucks back at various points in the second half and will now be counted on even more, even if Middleton somehow doesn't miss any time. He's not worried:
On a tough night for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not give the impression that all was lost in his late-night presser. "We've got to play free; we've got to enjoy it," he said. "To not make the ball feel heavy; to make the ball feel as light as possible."
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) April 21, 2022
Milwaukee now finds itself in a much bigger fight than expected in this first round after most prognosticators figured this would be a sweep.
