AP

Middleton hopes to return in 2 weeks from sprained knee

Apr 21, 2022, 9:50 PM | Updated: Apr 22, 2022, 9:51 am

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton tries to get past Chicago Bulls' Patrick Williams during the first...

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton tries to get past Chicago Bulls' Patrick Williams during the first half of Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff basketball game Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

CHICAGO (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton hopes two weeks is all he needs to recover from his sprained left knee and get back to helping his team repeat as NBA champion.

The three-time All-Star is eyeing a return in the Eastern Conference semifinals, assuming the Bucks gets past the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. The series is tied after the teams split the first two games in Milwaukee. Game 3 was Friday night in Chicago.

“They say two weeks,” Middleton said at the morning shootaround. “Hopefully, I’ll be ready or close to getting back on the court around then.”

Middleton headed to the locker room with 6:49 remaining in Game 2 on Wednesday. His left leg gave out when he tried to plant on a spin move. The Bulls went on to win 114-110 behind DeMar DeRozan’s 41 points.

Coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that Middleton sprained the medial collateral ligament. An MRI on Thursday confirmed it. The team said Middleton would receive daily treatment, and there would be an update on his status in about two weeks.

That means he likely will miss the remainder of the first-round series, which would end May 1 if it goes the full seven games.

“We’ve got a lot of good players,” Budenholzer said. “The roster — we’ve talked about the depth of it, the quality of it. That’s why you do it. The front office put together a great team.”

Losing Middleton is obviously a big blow for a team trying to become the first to repeat as champion since Golden State in 2017 and 2018. He averaged 20.1 points and made his third All-Star team this season.

In the Eastern Conference finals last year, Milwaukee overcame the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a knee injury and won the final two games against Atlanta with Middleton leading the way. He scored 26 points in Game 5 and 32 in the series clincher.

Milwaukee then lost the first two games against Phoenix before winning the next four to capture its second championship and first since 1971.

“There’s reference points, whether it’s things that are disappointing or frustrating that you want to learn from or there’s positives,” Budenholzer said. “Certainly, our team and our group, we know that we’ve played without Giannis a couple games last year. I think they know that you’ve just got to find a way to win games in the playoffs, and we feel capable of doing that.”

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Middleton hopes to return in 2 weeks from sprained knee