The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks have been forced to play two first-round playoff games without star scorer Khris Middleton. And the number will increase to three on Wednesday night in Fiserv Forum, as he's been ruled out for the rest of the series against the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained left knee. Middleton is optimistic that he'll return to action during the second round.
Fortunately for the Bucks, they've been able to make do with the 30-year-old sidelined. With key contributions from Grayson Allen off the bench, they blew out the Bulls twice at United Center this past weekend, extending their series lead to a commanding 3-1. Of course, Allen isn't guaranteed to record 20-plus points in Game 5 or beyond. But NBC Milwaukee sports anchor Lance Allan is hoping that someone will keep stepping up in Middleton's extended absence.
"[They're missing] that cold-blooded shot-maker at the end. You know, god bless Giannis -- he's the MVP. He's really, really good. And he's learned how to make the big shots and big plays near the end of games," Allan explained to After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Monday. "But inside a minute, it's been proven -- time and time again -- that Middleton isn't afraid to take the shot or the game-winning shot when they need it.
"So, that's the only thing. You're not going to argue about a 30-point win and a 24-point win, and blowing the Chicago Bulls off their own homecourt floor. If there's a crunchtime game, they'll probably go to Giannis. But, it'll be very interesting to see how the team reacts because that's one thing that they're missing. Middleton is that kind of cold-blooded killer who really loves those shots in the last few seconds."
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who might soon win his third MVP in four seasons, has resembled his superstar self against the Bulls. The 27-year-old scored a team-high 32 points with 17 boards for the Bucks in Game 4, and in Game 2, he passed legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the franchise's all-time leader in playoff scoring. Through four games, Antetokounmpo's averaged 27.5 points with 14.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
Milwaukee, which earned the East's third seed with 51 wins, will play Game 5 at home on Wednesday night, with tipoff yet to be announced. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Bucks currently have a 26-percent chance to reach the Eastern Conference finals, a 16-percent chance to return to the NBA Finals, and a 9-percent chance to repeat as league champions.
The entire Bucks conversation between Allen and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.