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"His veteran leadership is invaluable" - Adrian Griffin praises Khris Middleton for clutch plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were brilliant all game long. Still, coach Adrian Griffin knew that for the Milwaukee Bucks to overcome an undermanned but pesky Miami Heat, they would still need Khris Middleton. The 11-year veteran Middleton didn’t disappoint.
Khris' veteran smarts were on full display when the Bucks chalked up a pulsating 131-124 win over the Heat on Tuesday night.
Middleton scored four crucial points and assisted in the closing seconds as the Bucks survived a Jimmy Butler-less Heat to top the East Group B of the In-Season Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
Khris delivers when it mattered the most
Griffin did an excellent job of preserving Khris, who played for just 17 minutes after returning from a one-game absence due to Achilles tendinitis.
Middleton sat out the first few minutes of the fourth period. He checked into the final quarter at the 9:44 mark. Khris was subbed out at the 7:33 mark and checked back in again with only 5:42 left and the game hanging in the balance.
The game was tied at 118-all when Middleton beat the shot clock with a baseline jumper. Bam Adebayo missed a jumper in the next play, and Middleton hit another jumper that gave the Bucks a four-point cushion, 122-118, with only 1:38 to go.
Miami made it a one-possession game, 124-127, with 56 seconds left, but Middleton assisted Brook Lopez for a dunk, and the Bucks created more breathing space after surging to a 129-124 lead with just 38 ticks remaining.
Veteran leadership
“We have to make a decision during that fourth quarter. We decided to take him out for a few minutes and play the last five minutes, and he was clutch. We need every minute of him on the floor,” said Griffin.
Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, and Lillard scored 32, marking the third straight game where the duo scored at least 30 points each.
Middleton, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, made sure that the efforts of his two All-Star teammates would not go to naught by making one clutch play after another, sealing the Bucks’ third-straight that hiked their regular-season record to 13-5.
Coach Griffin emphasized why having a player like Middleton in clutch moments is such a luxury.
“You could just tell he’s been in this situation a hundred times. So poised, under control, down the stretch. He just took over the game. His veteran leadership is invaluable. Whatever minutes we have with Khris on the floor, we’re just an elite team,” said Griffin.
