The Milwaukee Bucks will live to fight another day, following their razor-thin 118-115 overtime victory over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their second-round matchup. This was thanks in large part to the heroics of Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton, who now appears to have a target on his back, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo out for much of Game 4 and potentially moving forward.
Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler was all praises for Middleton, but emphasized that Miami will be looking to put a tighter leash on him come Game 5:
“I mean, (Middleton is) a hell of a player,” Butler said, via Manny Navarro of The Athletic. “He can put the ball in the basket. Like everybody else, we’ve just got to make it tough on him, make his catches hard, contest all shots and take our percentages, hoping that we’ll wear down on him throughout the game. I think he was just way too comfortable. You see the ball going multiple times, and then the rim gets as big as you want it to be. So, we’ll be better. It’s all I got.”
Middleton was outstanding for the Bucks in Sunday's win over the Heat, finishing with a game-high 36 points on 12-of-28 shooting. He added eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in 48 minutes of action. Giannis logged just 11 minutes in this one because of his ankle injury, so it was only essential that Middleton take over the game for the Bucks.
For Heat guard Goran Dragic, the veteran guard believes that crowding Middleton will be key:
“We need to be more focused on protecting the paint, and when we close out, we need to do a better job,” Dragic said. “Middleton, he can play in that high post, and as soon as he gets the ball, he’s gonna go one-on-one. So, we just need to shrink the floor and play as a unit on defense.”
It remains to be seen if Antetokounmpo will be able to suit up for Game 5 against the Heat on Tuesday, but regardless, Middleton will need to be at his very best again if he hopes to help the Bucks avoid a season-ending defeat.
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