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Khris Middleton overtakes Sidney Moncrief on all-time list for rebounds in Milwaukee history

Khris now has the eighth-most rebounds in Bucks history.

Matthew Dugandzic

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Khris Middleton looked sharp despite a long layoff, and he even achieved a career milestone on Wednesday night when the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a 119-122 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Playing his second game after a 16-game absence caused by a sprained ankle, Khris finished with 22 points, six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. The six-rebound performance was enough for Middleton to surpass Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief on the list of all-time leaders for rebounds in the Bucks' history.

A rebounding machine

Middleton now has 3,449 rebounds as a Milwaukee player, overtaking Moncrief (3,447) for No. 8 all-time in franchise history.

After playing 26 minutes in Milwaukee’s 140-129 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Khris played 33 minutes against the Celtics.

“Felt great overall,” Khris said after their three-point loss to Boston. “I thought my wind was there for the most part. Some of those longer stretches, I got a little tired and fatigued, but that’s part of it, that’s part of getting back in shape, that’s part of basketball in general. Just gotta find a way to get through it.”

Khris was badly needed on the floor

Milwaukee needed every minute that Khris was on the floor as they played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his second straight game due to hamstring soreness.

“The number was 30 tonight, so two extra minutes," coach Doc Rivers said. "That wasn’t that bad. He felt great. He wanted to stay in. I hated to take him out that one stretch (in the fourth quarter). He just made a shot, but we’re looking at his minutes and we had to take him out. Our whole thought was if we made a run we could have him for the last three minutes, but he sat for like six minutes, so he got put in a tough situation.”

The Bucks will be back in action on Thursday night for the back end of a back-to-back against the visiting Brooklyn Nets. With Khris logging heavy minutes in his first two games since the 16-game absence, a much-needed rest for him may be a possibility.

Former NBA vet reiterates importance of Khris Middleton in Bucks’ title hunt: "He was their closer when they won that championship"

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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.