The Milwaukee Bucks will be getting a big lift for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. According to ESPN's Malika Andrews, Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon is set to return to the lineup as his team tries to close out the Boston Celtics, coming off the bench and playing on a minutes restriction.
Malcolm Brogdon will be listed as probable and is expected to play in Game 5, the team announced at shoot around this morning. A plantar fascia tear had sidelined Brogdon since March 15.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 8, 2019
Malcolm Brogdon will be on a minutes restriction. Nikola Mirotic will still start and Brogdon will come off the bench, Mike Budenholzer said.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 8, 2019
Brogdon has been sidelined since March 15th with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. The third-year guard suffered the injury early in a win over the Miami Heat. Milwaukee offered no initial timeline for his recovery, but it was long expected that he might be able to return for the second round of the playoffs.
Brogdon, the 2017 Rookie of the Year, has been integral to the Bucks’ success on both sides of the ball this season. Averaging a career-high 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, he’s also emerged as one of the league’s most efficient role players, with shooting marks that currently place him in the hallowed 50-40-90 club. Malcolm Brogdon has been nearly as impactful on the other end of the floor, where his length and strength allow him to defend multiple positions.
Though second-year guard Sterling Brown, an impactful defender who's limited offensively, spent the final month of the regular season and first five games of the playoffs starting in Brogdon's place, Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer inserted Nikola Mirotic into the starting lineup after the Celtics waxed the Bucks in Game 1. Milwaukee, the postseason's top seed, has won three straight games since, two of which were blowout victories.
Game 5 tips off at 8:00 p.m. EST from Fiserv Forum.
Follow Us
Subscribe