Healthy Milwaukee Bucks Put Rest Of East On Notice With Impressive Win In Return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton

Some would argue the only reason the Miami Heat played the Boston Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference finals was because of the injury to Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton.

He was sidelined their second-round series against the Celtics after sustaining an injury in the first round against the Chicago Bulls, resulting in the Bucks making an early postseason exit.

Now, the Bucks are back healthy and sent a message to the rest of the conference with a 150-130 victory Monday against the Detroit Pistons

“The band is back together,” Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo was back in the lineup after missing five games because of knee soreness. Middleton returned after being sidelined since Dec. 15 due to knee issues, too.

Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter while Middleton had eight points and four assists.

“It was great to see everyone playing together with no real chemistry issues,” Bucks center Brook Lopez.

The Bucks are set to make a run with their roster at full strength. They sit in third place in the standings, trailing the No. 1 Celtics by 4.5 games.

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