Bucks forward Khris Middleton isn't as valuable as teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the MCL sprain Middleton suffered in Wednesday's Game 2 vs. the Bulls still warranted an adjustment to the betting odds.
Middleton's knee injury — parlayed with a four-point loss on home soil to Chicago — has pushed Milwaukee back from +500 to a peak price of +750 (FanDuel) to win the NBA title.
Middleton is out at least two weeks with an MCL sprain after undergoing an MRI Thursday. If Milwaukee advances, he'll be out for the start of the second round versus the winner of Brooklyn/Boston.
With the first-round series knotted up 1-1, the Bucks are now -270 advance past the Bulls (+220). For context, Milwaukee was -1000 entering Game 1 and Chicago was +650.
Middleton suffered the injury on a drive to the bucket in the fourth quarter Wednesday, but not before he poured in 18 points and added five boards.
The three-time All-Star posted 20.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game during the regular season.
Milwaukee potentially being down a key cog in the starting lineup for an extended period of time also slightly boosted the stocks of other Eastern Conference hopefuls.
The Celtics moved a hair from +600 to +550, while the Heat were adjusted from +650 to +600.
The Western Conference, meanwhile, also needed a touch-up Tuesday night following an injury to Suns guard Devin Booker.
With Phoenix' star on the shelf for 2-3 more weeks, the Suns flipped from consensus favorites to co-favorites with the Warriors, depending where you shop.
