Middleton, the metronome
While Jennings may have been the firestarter, it was Khris Middleton who first guided the way for the Bucks on Monday night against the Grizzlies.
In nearly 35-and-a-half minutes, Middleton posted 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from three), six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a turnover each and was a team-high +21 on the night.
With the team having gotten off to a sluggish start compared to the Grizzlies, Middleton stood as the lone exception of the starting five as he was dialed in from his favorite spots from within the arc, even knocking down a three as well. When it was all said and done, nearly half (11, to be exact) of Middleton’s 24 points for the game came within the first period.
From there, Middleton intermittently kept up his scoring pace, but remained influential in other areas of the game such as connecting with teammates for scores thanks to his playmaking skills and holding the fort down defensively to help stifle the Grizzlies.
Considering his consistency issues that have persisted throughout the year, it’d be great to see Middleton string his last two performances into something longer lasting to help power the team throughout this current stretch of taking on lottery-bound teams.