Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton told reporters today that he expects to return tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns after missing over a month with an ankle sprain.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“Hopefully, nothing happens, knock on wood. But I expect to be playing tomorrow,” Middleton said (via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm).
Khris Middleton came down to speak with reporters after today's Bucks practice and confirmed that the plan is for him to play tomorrow vs. the Suns.
"Hopefully, nothing happens, knock on wood. But I expect to be playing tomorrow." – Middleton
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 16, 2024
Middleton is officially not on the Bucks’ injury report.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable with a left hamstring tendinopathy. Antetokounmpo, who is third in the NBA in points per game at 30.8, has only missed three games this season.
Malik Beasley (back spasms) and MarJon Beauchamp (back spasms) are also questionable for Milwaukee.
Middleton suffered his injury after stepping on Kevin Durant’s foot during the last Bucks vs. Suns matchup, which was on Feb. 6. The Suns won this game 114-106 against a banged-up Bucks team.
Khris Middleton heading to the locker room after this play with Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/w6HJoEupHs
— PlaybyPlayBark (@playbyplaybark) February 7, 2024
Middleton is averaging 14.8 points while shooting 48.7% from the floor to go along with 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes across 43 games this season for the Bucks (43-24).
Throughout his career, Middleton has seemingly always played well against Phoenix (39-28). He has averaged 20.9 points in 19 career regular season games against the Suns. When the two teams met in the Finals in 2021, Middleton averaged 24.0 points and 6.3 rebounds to help the Bucks win the championship.
Stay tuned for Suns injury updates.
Tomorrow’s game tips off shortly after 10 a.m. MST on ABC.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
