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“With Giannis out, I knew I had to be aggressive” - Khris Middleton talks about his big scoring night against the Detroit Pistons

Deadly Khris Middleton is definitely back.
Matthew Dugandzic|
“With Giannis out, I knew I had to be aggressive” - Khris Middleton talks about his big scoring night against the Detroit Pistons
“With Giannis out, I knew I had to be aggressive” - Khris Middleton talks about his big scoring night against the Detroit Pistons

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Milwaukee BucksDetroit Pistons

Khris Middleton was simply unstoppable when he faced the team that drafted him 11 years ago. He had his best scoring game of the season when he put up 34 points that powered the Milwaukee Bucks to a 126-117 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

The 6-foot-7 forward also had eight rebounds and five assists in a solid all-around game that helped the Bucks stretch their NBA-best record to 54-21.

Locked in

Middleton was obviously locked in, but not because he was up against the team that selected him as the 39th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The shifty All-Star said there was a need for him to step up with the Bucks missing three key players: Jrue Holiday, Jae Crowder and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"With Giannis out, I knew I had to be aggressive," said Middleton. "I had to get to my spots and when I got there, I've either got to shoot or find the open man."

Getting back into a groove

Middleton missed a lot of games due to a recurring knee injury and has only played 29 times this season.

Khris is spendiong only 24.4 minutes per game on the court since he returned from a long layoff, but he is producing sufficient numbers with averages of 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5 assists.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Middleton got his groove back and that he has been contributing on both ends of the floor.

"Khris has looked really good since he came back from the injury. He's obviously going to be shooting it, but he's doing a lot of good things defensively right now," Budenholzer said.

The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, and with Middleton getting back to his usual dependable self, the Bucks are definitely going to be a tough customer in the post-season. 

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.