HOUSTON, Texas – After undergoing wrist surgery in the summer, this was Middleton’s sixth game back.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ standout Khris Middleton missed Sunday’s 97 to 92 loss to the Houston Rockets due to an ankle strain. Early in the second quarter, Middleton officially left the game after failing to register any stats other than two missed 3-point attempts.

Middleton seemed to sprain his ankle during a defensive possession in the middle of the first quarter. Initially, he did a good job of isolating Jalen Green, but when Green turned the ball over to Kevin Porter Jr. and immediately got it back, Middleton was a little off balance in his closeout. His left ankle somewhat rolled as he attempted to pass Green to Jrue Holiday and recover out to Porter in the corner. Middleton ascended the floor with a slight limp and left a short while later.

Then, in the second quarter, he attempted to give it a shot but was unable to do so and only managed to play for 90 seconds.

The extent of Middleton’s injury is unknown at this time. He originally managed to stay on the ground, and there didn’t appear to be much of an ankle roll, which would indicate that it’s not a catastrophic injury. To be certain, we must wait for more facts because every athlete and scenario is unique.

Head coach of the Bucks Mike Budenholzer remarked, “He should be OK.” “I hope he’ll be alright. It’s just a couple of really little things.”

Middleton will return to the court shortly, according to Holiday as well:

Holiday added, “I feel like this happens. “You see it time and time again where someone gets hurt and again, he’s coming back not in training camp where he kind of gets to take his time. Not that he was thrown into the fire – he prepared well and did everything that he needed to – but his first game was what, Game 20 or something like that where we’re juiced and fired up and ready to go. I think that he’s smart, he’ll take care of his body and he’ll be Middleton has a long history of injuries, and the Bucks are likely to be cautious given this. He missed the remainder of the team’s postseason run after sustaining a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his knee during the team’s playoff matchup with the Chicago Bulls last year. He missed the team’s first 20 games of the season after having to miss the offseason due to surgery to repair a ligament in his wrist.

Since sitting down again, Middleton has felt both hot and chilled. He shot 36% from the field and 29.2 percent from 3-point range in his first four games, averaging 13.8 points, three rebounds, and 5.8 assists. The good thing for him and the Bucks is that there is still plenty of time to get him healthy and back to playing at his usual level before the postseason.