The Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trailblazers will tip off tonight at 7:00 at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks will be without Khris Middleton, Joe Ingles, and Wes Matthews. As of right now, reserve guard/forward Pat Connaughton is not listed on the injury report. He could make his season debut tonight. Portland, too, will be without their superstar guard, Damian Lillard. Earlier today, the Bucks announced some major news regarding Middleton, who is recovering from offseason wrist surgery.
Related: Portland Trailblazers Get Devastating Injury News Ahead of Matchup with Bucks
Khris Middleton and Wes Matthews Have Been Assigned to the Herd
Per Jim Owczarski of The Athletic, the Bucks have sent both Middleton and Matthews to Oshkosh for practice with the Wisconsin Herd.
The #Bucks announce they assigned Khris Middleton and Wesley Matthews to the #Herd for some practice. https://t.co/yQfExrzNdf
— Jim Owczarski (@JimOwczarski) November 21, 2022
Related: The Top Five Best Games Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Played Against the Trailblazers
Khris Middleton has been an All-Star for the Milwaukee Bucks in three of the past four seasons. During those four seasons, he averaged 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Middleton also shot 46/39/88 from the floor wile also averaging a steal per game during that time.
Wes Matthews Is Nursing a Hamstring Injury
In addition to Middleton, the Bucks have sent Wes Matthews to the Herd. Matthews is battling a hamstring injury and has missed the last two games. So far this season, Matthews is averaging 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game. He is shooting a career-low 29.2% from the floor and 29.9% from three.
What Will the Bucks Starting Lineup Be?
Even if Pat Connaughton is able to return, there is little reason to believe the Bucks will make any major changes to their starting lineup. Giannis, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday will likely be joined by Jevon Carter and MarJon Beauchamp, unless Coach Budenholzer wants to go big and give Bobby Portis another start.
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