3 takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks close loss to Toronto Raptors

Can Khris Middleton build his second-half performance against the Toronto Raptors?

After the first half, I was prepared to write about how Middleton’s struggles continued once again as he works his way back from COVID-19. He went 2-of-9 from the field (including two missed 3-pointers) and turned the ball over three times in 16 minutes.

He got going in the second half and especially so in the fourth quarter. In nearly 19 second-half minutes, Middleton scored 18 points on 68.1 percent true shooting (6-of-11 from the field) and had zero turnovers.

He did miss a crucial free throw late in the game but it led to another Raptors foul that sent Portis to the line, so bailed out a bit. Regardless, it should be something for Middleton to build on as he needed a bounce-back performance following some less-than-Middleton-esque games during the Bucks’ eight-game win streak that coincided with his return to the lineup.

Believe it or not, this was only Middleton’s second game with 20 or more points since returning to the lineup (partially due to the Bucks blowing teams out and Middleton not playing a ton of minutes). In his previous eight games coming into this one, Middleton averaged 15 points on 54.3 percent true shooting.

We saw last season how players returning from missed games due to testing positive COVID-19 could take a little bit of time to get their legs and the encouraging sign for Middleton is that he has had some efficient nights mixed in.

If the Bucks looked as good as they did during their eight-game win streak without Middleton playing to his usual standard, it’ll be even scarier for opposing teams if he can find his form.