“Cat & Mouse Game”: Khris Middleton Hates ‘Mentee’ Aaron Nesmith’s Dagger To Put Bucks Down 2-1 vs Pacers

The Indiana Pacers‘ lightning quick offense outpaced the Deers tonight. Tyrese Haliburton’s squad clinch Game 3 of the first round series behind his first triple double of the playoffs. Hali posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists alongside a game-solidifying three. However, it was Aaron Nesmith’s timely dagger that elevated Indiana to win the game, shunning Khris Middleton’s whopping 42 point performance.

With the score tied at 115 in OT, Aaron caught an open look on the corner three by Pascal Siakam. Despite failing to connect on a single three throughout the game, the Small Forward pulled up for an easy crunch-time bucket. “Definitely hating him for making that last shot,” Middleton, who mentored Nesmith at Porter-Gaud in Charleston, said in the post-game interview. However, he then reflected on his matchup with the wing, highlighting the defensive tenacity, high IQ and shooting touch Aaron brings every night. With that, Khris claimed, “It’s just a cat and mouse game,” hinting that Nesmith knows his game, and constantly pesters him to get to his spots.

For tackling the same, Middleton radiates a stance to come up with counter moves to Aaron’s premeditated resistance. He also hints at occasionally driving away from scoring, and utilizing Nesmith’s matchup to create open shots for his teammates. With that, Middleton wants to embrace the “Cat and Mouse” like synergy with his mentee, hoping to display his instrumental role on the Bucks and put his team in a winning position.

Khris Middleton stats in Game 3

In a Joel Embiid‘s regular season-like performance, Khris Middleton posted more points than the minutes played on the court. He scored 42 points while seeing 41 minutes of game-time. Khris Middleton stepped up for the Bucks right when they lacked a prominent offense orchestrator. The Bucks were playing their 6th straight game without Giannis Antetokounmpo, and saw Damian Lillard exiting the court due to a knee injury near the end of first quarter.

Even though Lillard returned to the game, his efficiency took a hit (33.3% shooting from the floor). Middleton, on the other hand, shot 16-29 from the floor (55.5%). Khris’ 29 attempts are his highest of the season, falling significantly ahead of the 20 shots he took on the Bucks’ Christmas game against the New York Knicks.

While spearheading Milwaukee’s offense, few of his most notable buckets came in clutch. Middleton sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 111 with just 2.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. With that, as the low-scoring OT gained heat at the end, he responded to Nesmith’s corner 3 by banking a three of his own with eight seconds left. However, Tyrese Haliburton came up with a cross-court sprint, crossing over Patrick Beverly and hitting a game-winning and-1 floater from the free throw line.