Pregame report: Bucks keeping a rein on Middleton's minutes

NEW YORK - Khris Middleton will play in his fourth game since returning from hamstring surgery when the Bucks meet Brooklyn on Wednesday night in their final game prior to the league all-star break.

Bucks coach Jason Kidd said he is pleased with Middleton's progress. The plan has been to keep the shooting guard's playing time around the 16-to-20 minute mark, with his high total being 21 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers last week.

But things could change after the all-star break.

"We're going to stick with that 48 minutes," Kidd joked in his pregame comments at the Barclays Center. "Then we'll work backwards from there.

"We'll see how he does. He's doing great. We understand he's coming back from that major injury. We'll talk about his minutes; we'll talk about starting. We'll talk about all the fun stuff over the break."

Middleton scored 11 points in 18 minutes off the bench in the Bucks' 102-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. He had three assists, two rebounds and five fouls in that time. Tony Snell has remained in the starting lineup with Middleton playing in a reserve role.

The 25-year-old Middleton was on the court early before the Bucks faced the Nets, working on his jump shot.

Kidd was asked about the Nets' struggles. The team he coached into the playoffs during the 2013-'14 season has the league's worst record at 9-46 and enters Wednesday's game with a 13-game losing streak.

"I haven't followed it that closely," Kidd said. "They're going to get things changed. They've got a great coaching staff and with Sean (Marks) as the new GM, they'll get things turned around.

"It takes time; you have to be patient. It's not always fixable by one player. It takes a team."

Kidd stressed the Bucks have to focus on the Nets before heading their separate ways for the all-star break. He said he would talk to Bucks all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo about his big weekend when the Bucks fly home to Milwaukee after the game.

"It's a great honor and it's his first one, so it will be a lot of fun for him," Antetokounmpo said. "At some point, he's got to say no because they're going to have him do all kind of things and do everything.

"It should be fun. Your first one is something you will always remember and it's well-deserved; he deserves to be on that platform with those guys."