Milwaukee Bucks star forward Khris Middleton is in jeopardy of missing Tuesday’s NBA Cup title game.

Midleton did not practice on Monday due to an illness.

Middleton is coming off a lackluster performance off the bench in the semi-final game against the Atlanta Hawks. The 33-year-old scored six points on 2-for-7 shooting, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in 22 minutes.

Middleton struggled again Saturday, continuing what has been an underwhelming return to competition. He has now played four games since returning from a lengthy injury absence, averaging 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 21.3 minutes per game. 

The Bucks are still slowly easing Middleton back after he missed the first month of the season recovering from two ankle surgeries in the offseason.

Even if Middleton is healthy enough to play, we should not expect too much out of him as he is still getting his feet under him. Given his injury history, it is clear that the medical staff will exercise with caution.

Middleton has struggled to stay on the court these past handful of years. Due to a variety of injuries, he was only limited to 33 games in the 2022-23 season and 55 games last season. Middleton missed the first 21 games of the season after recovering from surgery on both ankles.

The Bucks started the season 4-9 without Middleton and are now playing with their hair on fire.

The Bucks have gone 12-3 in their last 15 games, and they are being carried by their superstars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

The Bucks went from the bottom of the East to the top in a matter of games. Milwaukee has a great shot at continuing to rise in the standings, but first, they’ll look to take care of business Tuesday night, without or without Middleton in the lineup.

This year’s championship game will feature two heavyweights, and the stage is set to battle in Las Vegas at the T-Moblie Arena. This is a clash between two perennial Finals contenders and two MVP candidates in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokunmpo.

According to BetMGM, the Bucks are the underdogs in this contest. The Thunder are 4.5-point favorites for Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship.

The Bucks have and will need others to step up if Middleton cannot go in this matchup. This is for all the marbles in Las Vegas.

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