Report: Former Texas A&M star Khris Middleton receives alarming injury update

It appears the Milwaukee Bucks won’t have Khris Middleton for the rest of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Middleton will be re-evaluated in two weeks after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Middleton left Milwaukee’s first-round matchup against the Chicago Bulls and Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said afterward an MRI would be needed to see how long the three-time All-Star guard would be out.

During the regular season, Middleton appeared in 66 games and averaged 20.1 points per game, second on the roster only to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He had 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-7 from three-point territory, in 33 minutes on Wednesday before his injury. It’s a huge loss for Milwaukee, which now will likely lean on Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, who are the other two parts of the Bucks’ “big three.”

Prior to his time in the NBA, Middleton played for Texas A&M from 2009 to 2012 before going to the Detroit Pistons as a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. After one season in Detroit, he headed to Milwaukee, where he’s become a star alongside Antetokounmpo. Middleton is a three-time All-Star and played an integral role in the Bucks’ 2021 NBA title over the Phoenix Suns.

Milwaukee went 51-31 this season and finished third in the Eastern Conference. That set up a first-round matchup with No. 6 seed Chicago, and the Bucks swept the regular-season series. But after Milwaukee took Game 1, the Bulls held on to defeat the Bucks 114-110 in Game 2 thanks in large part to 41 points from DeMar DeRozan.

Both teams will head to Chicago on Friday for the third game of the series. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on ABC, Bally Sports Wisconsin and NBC Sports Chicago.