January 28 vs. Washington Wizards
Without a doubt, Middleton’s landmark performance of his career (so far) occurred in a 151-131 win over the Washington Wizards back on January 28.
Middleton finished with a career-high 51 points on an incredibly efficient 16-of-26 shooting while hitting a blazing 7-for-10 from three, along with 10 rebounds, six assists, two turnovers and was a +24 in nearly 36 minutes of run.
Per Basketball-Reference, Middleton is just one of 41 players in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a single game and do so while attempting 26 or fewer shots, joining teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as far as Bucks players go.
On a night when the Bucks were without Antetokounmpo, Middleton, along with Eric Bledsoe, rose up to the occasion to shine and shoulder what stands as the Bucks’ best offensive performance of the season by offensive efficiency, per NBA.com/stats.
Middleton certainly helped make that so as he effortlessly knocked down bucket after bucket, especially from 3-point range, and hit routine shots as if he was just shooting all by himself on the practice court.
Certainly, the Wizards’ defensive aptitude helped make that the case, but the two-time All-Star was on another level all night long and it was an incredibly fitting metaphor to see Middleton throw a one-handed dunk down the lane that helped him break through that 50-point wall for the first time in his career.
Along with that, it was the perfect runway into Middleton earning his second straight All-Star selection a couple of days later and it will certainly be referred to as his masterpiece performance in what currently stands as a career year by many standards.