Bucks' Doc Rivers: 'A Little' Concern with Khris Middleton's Injury for Pacers Game 3

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged the team has "a little" concern regarding the status of Khris Middleton for Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Rivers told reporters he's unsure whether the veteran wing will be good to go on Friday night.

Middleton injured his ankle in Milwaukee's 125-108 loss in Game 2, which didn't stop him from logging nearly 37 minutes on the floor.

The Bucks are already without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's nursing a calf injury. Rivers' comments on Antetokounmpo largely echoed what he had to say about Middleton.

Milwaukee cruised to a win in Game 1 thanks in large part to Damian Lillard dropping 35 points in the first half. He was held scoreless in the second half, which didn't prevent his team from winning by 15.

In the six quarters since Lillard's scoring explosion, though, the Pacers have outscored the Bucks by 29 points.

One idea behind acquiring the eight-time All-Star was that Milwaukee wouldn't have to be so dependent on Antetokounmpo offensively. Along the same lines, an injury to Middleton wouldn't theoretically torpedo a championship quest in the same way it did during the 2022 playoffs.

But there's no way for Rivers to easily plan around missing both Giannis and Middleton.

In addition, Lillard simply hasn't been the same player in Milwaukee that he was with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 33-year-old guard can only do so much on his own.

While it's too early to start writing obituaries for the 2023-24 Bucks, things aren't looking promising.