After an incredible career-night against the Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is tracking for 50-40-90 history.
Although they have been a dominant force, there has still been an array of questions surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks this season. Perhaps the most significant being if Khris Middleton is indeed good enough to be the second-best player on a championship-caliber team.
The team obviously believes he can be, having rewarded him with a massive contract this past offseason, and he has been proving them right so far this season. The Bucks’ last game was a prime example of this, as Middleton had himself a career night against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
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At half time, the Bucks had scored a franchise-record 88 points as they led the Wizards by an astounding 25 points. Middleton had 28 points heading into the locker-room, with 18 of those coming on three-pointers, on which he shot a perfect 6-of-6.
Leading the Bucks to a massive 151-131 win in the second half, Middleton led the way with a career-high 51 points on a night where he seemed unstoppable with the ball in his hands. Shooting 16-of-26 from the field, 61.5 percent, Khris poured in seven three-pointers on 10 total attempts, and was perfect from the line, knocking down 12 free-throw attempts.
After the game, Middleton gave all the praise to his teammates, saying:
"“My teammates are special people. No other guys I’d rather play with in this league.”"
This comes after point guard Eric Bledsoe scored a season-high 34 points and dished 10 assists in the same game, while second-year guard Donte DiVincenzo scored a quiet 16 points coming off the bench.
With his career night in the books, Middleton now finds himself on course for the 50-40-90 club, with some stellar shooting numbers. Averaging 20.2 points per game, the forward is shooting 50.3 percent from the field, 43.2 percent from three-point territory, and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
As prestigious as that honor is on its own, Middleton finds himself amongst even rarer company with his 20.2 points a night. Only four players have been members of the 50-40-90 club while averaging 20 or more points per game, those players being Larry Bird, who did it twice, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Stephen Curry.
Whether Middleton can sustain this type of play is yet to be determined, but he certainly has put an exclamation mark on his All-Star campaign, specifically in this past 10-game stretch, where the forward has been otherworldly.
Averaging 24.2 points per game, Middleton has been putting up some impressive shooting numbers to get these points. Connecting on 56.8 percent of his field goals and 52.8 percent of his three-point attempts, the 28-year-old has been on an absolute tear on the offensive end. His efforts are adding up to results, as the Bucks have won nine out of their last 10.
Middleton has been proving his value all season, but his career performance on Tuesday silenced his critics. Khris does not need to score 50 or more every night for the Milwaukee Bucks to be successful, but if he can continue his recent stellar play, this team only becomes scarier.