Khris Middleton: Milwaukee Bucks star to miss rest of series against Chicago Bulls with MCL sprain

Khris Middleton will miss the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls.

In a major blow to the hopes of retaining their NBA crown, WISN 12 News' Dario Melendez reports that the three-time All-Star will miss three or four weeks of action and there's no doubt he'll be out for at least a fortnight.

The Bucks announced Thursday night that the three-time All-Star had undergone an MRI earlier that day and that they would offer their next status update on him in "approximately two weeks."

Middleton left Milwaukee's 114-110 loss on Wednesday with a knee injury and Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said after that the forward had a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and the scan confirmed that diagnosis, despite reports in some places of a potential tear.

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That likely knocks him out at least for the rest of the Bucks-Bulls series, which is tied 1-1. If the series goes the full seven games, it would end May 1.

Middleton exited Game 2 with 6:49 left after his left leg gave out while he tried to plant on a spin move. Middleton initially tried to walk it off but eventually headed into the locker room.

As the defending champion Bucks spoke after Wednesday's game, they braced for the possibility they could be missing Middleton for a significant time.

"You feel for him," Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said. "Khris is a huge part of this team, this organisation, this city."

"You could see that he was limping, limping and limping," Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "You're thinking, 'I hope this is not bad. I hope this is not bad. I hope this is not bad.' We need this guy. Then when he asks for a sub, you know it's kind of bothering him because he doesn't leave the game if he's not hurt."

Middleton had 18 points and eight assists before leaving the game. The 30-year-old averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists during the season.

He played a vital role in the Bucks' title run last season, averaging at least 21.5 points in each of the four playoff series. He had 24 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the NBA Finals.

"Obviously Khris is one of the best players on the team," Antetokounmpo said. "If he's not able to be with us, it going to be a tremendous loss for us. But at the end of the day, we've got guys that hopefully can step up and we can still do our job and compete and enjoy the game, and hopefully it's not something very serious and he can come back and join us very soon."

Middleton's situation represented the most notable of the Bucks' many injury issues.

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Bobby Portis left Wednesday's game with a right eye abrasion after taking a hit to the face from Chicago's Tristan Thompson late in the first quarter.

"We anticipate that he should be fine with some time," Budenholzer said.

Reserve guard George Hill hasn't played in this series due to an abdominal strain. Budenholzer said before Game 2 that Hill isn't expected back in the short term and that the team will monitor how the 35-year-old Hill guard progresses over the next "handful of days or more."

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