When the Milwaukee Bucks decided to trade Jrue Holiday away for Damian Lillard prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, it showed that the front office had little room for sentiment amid their ongoing quest to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with the best possible roster.

With a strong contest from Kyle Kuzma, Middleton missed the off-balance 3-pointer that would have tied the game, just as Antetokounmpo — for the first time in his NBA career — had hoped and Milwaukee pulled out a 104-101 victory over Washington. The Bucks’ third consecutive win moved them within a half-game of the Pacers for the East’s No. 4 seed.