Middleton misses first game of year
Left thigh pain leads to late scratch
Khris Middleton rarely misses a game. So the Milwaukee Bucks had to scramble when the 6-foot-8 shooting guard was a late scratch for Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Middleton came out for warm-ups but felt pain in his left thigh.
Middleton was the only Bucks player to appear in all 76 games before Sunday, starting all 76. He played in all 82 games in the 2013-’14 season with Milwaukee and appeared in 79 games last season. So it was just the fourth game he has missed since joining the Bucks.
The Bucks used Damien Inglis in the starting lineup and switched to Johnny O’Bryant in the second half, and O’Bryant brought some energy that helped the Bucks rally from a 19-point deficit before falling to the Bulls, 102-98.
Inglis wound up playing 9 minutes and was scoreless while taking one shot and grabbing one rebound.
O’Bryant, who had played sparingly in the last five games (11 total minutes), had four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
“We thought, ‘Let’s see how Damien responds to an emergency start,’ ” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “I thought he did a good job, not knowing he was going to start or play.
“Then we go with another change at halftime, starting JOB. I thought he definitely was a positive when he was on the floor.” O’Bryant said he was ready. “When I went in we were down 16, so I just tried to play hard and make the right plays,” O’Bryant said. “It felt
great, just coach trusting me and putting me out there and letting me play.”
Admiring the Admiral: David
Robinson, the Admiral, was in the house for Sunday night’s game.
The former San Antonio Spurs star took photos with fans before the game and chatted with Kidd. Robinson was on hand to hear his son, Corey Robinson, sing the national anthem.
Corey Robinson is a star in another sport, a wide receiver for the Notre Dame football team. He’s also the student body president at the school and a talented singer.
David Robinson is a friend of Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and Lasry invited Corey to sing before one of the Bucks games.
The 7-foot-1David Robinson is a 10-time NBA all-star and two-time NBA champion (1999 and 2003) as a member of the Spurs. He also won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996. Robinson was inducted into Naismith basketball hall of fame in 2009.
He said he has watched the Bucks a bit this season.
“Giannis ( Antetokounmpo) is a freak of nature, obviously,” Robinson said. “The guy is amazing. They have some great young talent. It’s a matter of time. You watch teams like Golden State and San Antonio, we built our teams slowly with guys we trusted, and that's what we’re trying to do here.
“Obviously these guys have to grow up fast. But there’s no denying they have crazy talent on this team. It’s just learning how to play together, how to help each other. You’ve got to have some veteran leadership to get these guys over the hump. They’ve got to learn how to be champions.”