8:50 p.m. ET
Jamal Collier ESPN
MILWAUKEE — Bucks forward Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis were out Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls through injury and did not return as Milwaukee lost 114-110.
Middleton slipped on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of this first-round series, now tied 1-1, and began favoring his left leg. He attempted to straighten and bend his leg on the touchline before heading into the dressing room. The team announced later in the quarter that he would not be returning.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that Middleton suffered an MCL sprain and an MRI is scheduled for Thursday.
Middleton had 18 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes for the Bucks.
2 relatives
Portis was hit in the face by an elbow from Bulls center Tristan Thompson while the two went for a rebound in the first quarter. No foul was called at the game, but Portis fell to the ground after contact and bled near his right eye after the game.
Portis attempted a quick warm-up after half-time but only stayed on the pitch for a short time before heading back to the dressing room. Shortly into the third quarter, the Bucks ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a scrape in his right eye.
Portis scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in six minutes.
Injury news wasn’t much better ahead of Game 2 for the defending NBA champion. Budenholzer said during his pre-game media availability that veteran guard George Hill will not be returning anytime soon due to the abdominal pain that prevented him from starring in the series.
“We don’t expect him in the short term,” said Budenholzer.
Budenholzer said this issue was unrelated to the neck injury that caused Hill to miss 17 games early in the season. Hill said after returning from that injury he struggled with a partial tear between the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebrae in his spine.
According to Budenholzer, the latest injury stems from something that happened at the Bucks’ April 8 game in Detroit. Hill hasn’t played since then.
“We’ll see how he develops over the next few days or more, I would say,” said Budenholzer.
The 35-year-old Hill played 54 games during the regular season, averaging 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.2 minutes.
Jevon Carter filled Hill’s spot in Rotation the Bucks’ 93-86 Game 1 win, scoring three points in 10 minutes. He contributed two rebounds in nine minutes on Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.