In a night that lacked energy, hustle and a will to win, the Bucks worst nightmare rose from the court, and it was not the fact that they lost to the visiting Miami Heat 106-88.
In fact, the loss is the least of their worries.
Midway through the third quarter, Jabari Parker drove toward the basket, planted his left foot and was greeted with excruciating pain. It bent in ways the ligaments are not meant to, causing Parker to collapse immediately. He would fail to walk off the court under his own power.
As of right now, the Bucks are ruling Parker’s injury as a sprained knee. Further testing will be done tomorrow with an MRI. Details will immediately follow.
It is the same knee Parker injured when he tore his ACL during his rookie season in a December game in Phoenix.
Ironically enough, tonight was the first game back for Khris Middleton, who missed the first 50 games of the season after injuring his hamstring prior to the season. Middleton finished with five points in 15 minutes of action.
Leading the way for Milwaukee was Giannis Antetokounmpo with 22 points. Hassan Whiteside finished with 23 points for Miami. He also corralled in 16 rebounds for the double-double.
Head Coach Jason Kidd did not talk to the media following the game. General Manager John Hammond came out and talked instead, saying he and Kidd were having a “basketball discussion.”
The Bucks have an off-day tomorrow before they take on the visiting Los Angeles Lakers this Friday evening.