Critical Milwaukee wing ‘doubts’ whether he will finish Celtics game

The Milwaukee Bucks’ 3-and-D reserve small forward Taurean Prince, who was only questionable due to a non-COVID-19 illness, did not start in the third quarter of the ongoing nationally televised game against Boston Team Celtics. Backup swingman Gary Trent Jr. got the start instead – as returning three-time former All-Star small forward Khris Middleton played off the bench in his first game this season.

According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Bucks have announced that it is now doubtful whether Prince will even play again in this matchup. In just 9:10 healthy minutes, the 6-foot-1 swingman scored zero points on 0-of-1 shooting from the field, grabbed two rebounds, dished out a dime and blocked a shot.

On the year, the 30-year-old Baylor product averaged 9.0 points on .508/.556/.846 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists (with 1.1 turnovers) and 0.9 steals in 28.4 minutes per night.

At the end of the third quarter, Milwaukee holds a precarious 82-78 lead over the reigning champion Celtics. All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard leads the club with 26 points, four boards and two dimes. All-NBA Milwaukee power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and eight rebounds. This edition surprisingly contains some solid midrange jumpers. In just 18 minutes of play, Middleton recorded eight points, five assists and three rebounds.

Prince was signed by the Bucks to a surprisingly affordable veteran minimum contract this summer, a year after serving with the 47-35 Los Angeles Lakers on a semi-annual exceptional contract. Prince was selected No. 12 by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2016 NBA Draft and also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Beyond Prince, Milwaukee team general manager Jon Horst appeared to max out additions to his minimum contract roster this summer by also adding sharp-shooting point-of-attack perimeter defender Delon Wright and former Toronto Raptors shooting guard , Trent, signed to the same contracts. Neither player ignited the Fiserv Forum at the start of the year, and Prince was instead by far the most important addition to this experienced triumvirate. Trent was recently demoted from the starting lineup to the bench while Wright played sparingly for head coach Doc Rivers.

Boston, on the other hand, has looked incredibly impressive all year and looks poised for another strong playoff success this spring.

More Money: Wild blockbuster cash trade ideas to shift power in the Eastern Conference