Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the fourth quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 03, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Bucks 109-86. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
The Milwaukee Bucks are said to be pessimistic about a potential Game 7 return for All-Star Khris Middleton.
Middleton, sidelined since April 20 with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, recently returned to practice.
The defending champion Bucks face the Celtics in Boston on Sunday with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals on the line.
Per ESPN, the team had been hopeful earlier this week about Middleton playing this weekend. However, those hopes had soured by Saturday.
“Even if the Bucks advance to the conference finals, there’d be pessimism he’d be ready to start,” according to an ESPN NBA insider.
Middleton, 30, averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 66 starts during the regular season.
The three-time All-Star forward averaged 14.5 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the first two games of Milwaukee’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls before sustaining the injury.