The Boston Celtics are catching a major break on Christmas day, being given a gift in the form of Khris Middleton’s presence on the Milwaukee Bucks injury report. Middleton will be missing his fifth straight game due to swelling in his knee.
“I would say way better than I was last week when I stopped playing,” Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after practice. “A lot of swelling in my knee went down. Just taking it day-by-day. Just trying to make sure the next time I go back out there I’ll be out there for the long run.”
Middleton has been limited to just seven appearances during the 2022-23 season after wrist surgery over the offseason kept him out until December 2.
The Boston Celtics could establish the top record in the east against Bucks
Sunday’s Christmas day clash with the Milwaukee Bucks could be a major prove-it game for the Boston Celtics, who have been on the losing end more so than the winning end over the past week.
Milwaukee, even without Khris Middleton, is still one of their primary roadblocks in the Eastern Conference — taking the Cs to seven games during the Eastern Conference semifinals this past May. Boston won’t have the benefit of seeing how they measure up to a full-strength Milwaukee team, but that’s the NBA regular season for you.
With the Celtics still winless with Robert Williams III, this could be a big-time regroup game for Boston. A convincing win against Milwaukee, one that at least covers the five-point spread, could have pundits seeing them as the team to beat. It should be noted that they are still the current betting favorites at most online sportsbooks.
We’ll see Sunday whether or not the Boston Celtics can start to get back on track after a dominant start to the 2022-23 campaign.