Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss the entire second-round series against the Boston Celtics with the sprained left MCL he suffered in Game 2, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.
An MRI confirmed MCL injury on April 21, but the severity was not reported. Per Charania, it is a Grade 2 sprain that could put his recovery timeline into the conference finals.
The No. 3 seed Bucks defeated the Chicago Bulls, 116-110, to close out the first-round series in five games on Wednesday night. The series with the Celtics begins on Sunday.
The Bucks said the day after the injury Middleton “will receive daily treatment and evaluation.”
Middleton sprains MCL in first round
Middleton, 30, injured his left knee with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter of the Game 2 loss that evened the series. He appeared to slip in the paint and head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game it was believed to be an MCL sprain.
Middleton had 29 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds over the two playoffs games. He was 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the first outing, but cooled off in Game 2. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this season.
