The Bucks should be fine without Middleton

The Milwaukee Bucks’ number two man and All-Star swingman, Khris Middleton, is out for 3-4 weeks due to a left thigh contusion. There will be a window of concern for his absence, as he has been one of the team’s most reliable guys outside of reigning league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton is averaging 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in the last three seasons.

Antetkounmpo, who’s posting 34.6 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks on a superb 60.4%-shooting in his last five games, is sure to have an uptick in his already monstrous numbers with Middleton gone. Giannis’s co-first team All-Defense member, Eric Bledsoe, is also bound to produce more than usual. Bledsoe started the season slow but has now scored 20 or more points in each of his last four outings.

The Bucks currently stand at 7-3, tied with a couple of teams in the Eastern Conference. They won all of their four match-ups with the Bulls last season, three of which had them winning by double-digits.

The Bulls have a slight chance. They really do.

The 4-7 Bulls are fresh-off a 120-102 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, which also featured their highest output on the year since the season-opener. Zach Lavine and rookie Coby White starred for Chicago, with the latter scoring 23 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter – his seven three-pointers in the period also set a franchise record.

White isn’t likely to have a repeat of his career-high performance, but looking at the numbers, who knows? The Bucks, as efficient as they are defensively (9th in defensive rating), currently allow the second-most threes per game.

The Bulls will also need to run with the Bucks if they want to keep up, and guess what, they are efficient in transition! They are 7th in fastbreak points per game (16.1) and second when on the road (16.8). Adding to all that intrigue is that the Bucks are only an average team on fastbreak defense when they’re at home (12.7 per game, 14th).

PREDICTION:

There’s a good chance we’ll see a good amount of transition opportunities for the Bulls. In the end, though, the Bucks will still pull out the win.