Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoff basketball game against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks face the possibility of continuing their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Friday without two of their three best players.
Khris Middleton suffered a sprained right ankle that kept him out of practice on Thursday and puts his status in question for Game 3 in Indianapolis. The Bucks have already played the first two games of this series without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who suffered a left calf strain.
“It’s another hold-your-breath situation,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Middleton’s availability for Friday. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
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The NBA's injury report on Thursday afternoon listed Antetokounmpo as questionable and Middleton as questionable for Friday's game. The Bucks and Pacers are tied at 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Middleton was limping in the first quarter of the Bucks' 125-108 Game 2 loss on Tuesday and briefly went to the locker room, but returned after taping his right ankle and ended up playing 36 minutes. The three-time All-Star averaged 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists through the first two games.
Antetokounmpo has not played since straining his left calf in an April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics. He missed the Bucks' final three regular season games.
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“He did a lot of things on the floor today, probably the most I’ve ever seen,” Rivers said. “Nothing live. He was shooting and moving today.”
Speaking after the Bucks' Thursday practice in Milwaukee, Rivers declined to speculate on when Antetokounmpo might return.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks talks with Damian Lillard on the bench during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA playoff basketball game, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
“I saw him moving and thought he was getting close,” Rivers said. “Does that mean one day, four days? I'm not sure.”
The Bucks have played without key players on several occasions this year. The Bucks have had their three best players – Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Damian Lillard – all available in just five of the last 35 games. That 35-game stretch covers Milwaukee's last 33 regular-season games and the first two games of this series.
“We’ve had games like that this season,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “We are prepared for this. We saw everything. Obviously we would prefer them to play. But if they can't, if they have to do whatever it takes to be healthy, stay healthy, we're ready.”
The Bucks have become accustomed to dealing with injuries during the postseason.
Antetokounmpo missed the final game and a half of the 2020 second-round loss to Miami with a sprained ankle. He did not play the final two games of the 2021 East Finals with a hyperextended knee before returning to lead Milwaukee to the championship as the NBA Finals MVP, who scored 50 points in the title-clinching victory.
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Middleton has missed the Bucks' final 10 playoff games in 2022 due to a sprained MCL. Last year, a lower back injury knocked Antetokounmpo out of Game 1 and caused him to miss the next two games in the Bucks' first-round loss to Miami.
