Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton falls short in 3-Point Contest again
By Adam McGee
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton failed to improve upon his 2016 effort as he floundered in Saturday’s 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend.
It will be a weekend to remember for Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton, as he’s set to make his All-Star debut on Sunday night in Charlotte.
For the second time in his career, though, Middleton participated in All-Star Saturday’s 3-Point Contest, and unfortunately delivered a performance he’d like to forget.
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With a sorry total of 13 points leading him to an early elimination in 2016, the minimum expectation for most was that Middleton would improve upon that underwhelming score from his previous outing. Even that proved not to be the case, though.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo (along with his brothers Kostas and Alex) and Sterling Brown cheering him on from courtside, Middleton set out from the left corner, and made an encouraging start by knocking down his first two attempts.
The key question for Middleton was always going to be the placement of his money-ball rack and, on that front, he changed things up from his previous experience in the event. In 2016, Middleton’s money-balls were taken from the left wing, while on this occasion he opted for the top of the arc.
With all said and done, it’s fair to say it may not have made a difference where Middleton placed his money-ball rack, as it clearly wasn’t his night.
Middleton made two shots from the left corner, one from the left wing, two from his money-ball spot at the top of the arc, one from the right wing, and one from the right corner. That combined for a miserable total of 11 points, leaving Middleton comfortably in last place.
The next lowest total was 15 points, while it took 25 points to advance to the championship round.
Stephen Curry (27), Buddy Hield (26) and Joe Harris (25) made up the trio of sharpshooters who advanced to the final where Harris claimed the title by edging out Curry by 26-24.
Speaking to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the event, Middleton reflected on his second attempt at the 3-Point Contest:
"“Man, they all felt good,” Middleton said, later joking that he might have needed a hand in his face or something. “Just didn’t fall for me. It’s my second time doing it, definitely would love to do it again. Hopefully, I do better next time, but they all felt good so I’ll live with that.”"
Considering just how much he’s struggled shooting off the rack on two occasions, Middleton likely shouldn’t hold his breath when it comes to the prospect of a third invite.
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Having said that, if he can put in a much better showing on Sunday when tasked with shooting over his fellow All-Stars, his weekend will likely still be deemed a success.