Khris Middleton’s season-high in points propels the Bucks past Pistons

Following a grueling loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Milwaukee Bucks needed a bounce-back win over the Detroit Pistons.

The degree of difficulty increased leading up to the matchup as Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) and Jrue Holiday (personal reasons) were both ruled out hours beforehand. With these two sitting, one player who would be tasked with stepping up was Khris Middleton. Thankfully, Middleton did just that and answered the call in a big way for the Bucks.

Khris Middleton’s season-high in points propels the Bucks past Pistons

After scoring just four points in the opening quarter, Middleton got going in the second period with a flurry of baskets. Middleton was aggressive on offense, having attempted a game-high six shots in the period. He connected on four of them, including a 3-pointer. His aggressiveness earned him five shots at the free throw line, four of which he made. With a six-point lead, the Bucks needed Middleton to keep it going in the second half to seal the deal, which he did.

The Pistons made several runs in the second half to keep this game close, but whenever they hit a shot, it seemed like Middleton responded with a bucket of his own. The forward tallied 17 points in the second half, having shot 7-of-13 from the floor. That included 11 points in the fourth quarter as he closed this one out for the Bucks. He sealed the victory with a late and-one and then a pair of free throws on the next possession to put Milwaukee up 12.

In total, Middleton finished with 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, eight rebounds, and five assists. Middleton was terrific on offense all night, having gotten into a great groove in the mid-range, his sweet spot. Having hit just one of his seven 3-point attempts, Middleton primarily did his damage inside of the arc, and the results were tremendous. In a season that has been so turbulent for the three-time All-Star, it is great to see him log a season-high 34 points, especially in a big win.

Brook Lopez (24), Jevon Carter (22), and Bobby Portis (21) all deserve some credit as well after the trio all scored more than 20 points in this outing. With Antetokounmpo and Holiday out, the Bucks had a lot of points to make up, and these three helped lessen the load from Middleton.

Time will tell if the Bucks get Antetokounmpo and Holiday back for Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

This was a solid win to help the Milwaukee Bucks maintain a two-game lead in the East standings as they look to finish the regular season strong.