Watch- Khris Middleton left bloodied after taking an elbow from Jaylen Brown

Milwaukee Bucks star wing Khris Middleton laying on the court following a face injury on Thursday night against Boston

Milwaukee Bucks star wing Khris Middleton was forced to leave early during the Bucks’ primetime matchup against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. This came after Middleton took a hard blow to the face early in the third quarter.

Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown was barreling straight down the lane when he collided directly into Middleton. Brown’s right elbow hit Middleton in the face and sent him to the ground. The Bucks star then rolled over and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the court. Middleton later needed to receive stitches on his upper lip.

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Celtics steamroll Bucks 140-99 behind big night from Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum

It was a rough night all around for the Milwaukee Bucks as the team got steamrolled by the Boston Celtics 140-99. The 41-point loss matched the Bucks' biggest of the season. This came despite the game being a highly anticipated primetime matchup between the teams with the two best records in the league.

The matchup marked a statement game for the Celtics, who were led by star forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, and eight 3-pointers on 66.7% shooting. His co-star, Jaylen Brown, added 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 65.0% shooting.

The Celtics, as a team, also shot a blistering 56.0% (51-91) and 51.2% from three (22-for-43).

Meanwhile, Milwaukee shot just 37.6% (38-for-101). The Bucks were led by superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on just 40.7% shooting.

Thursday's game could also prove to be a preview of this year’s Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics have now won their season series with Milwaukee, 2-1. This comes after Boston defeated the Bucks 4-3 in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. So the Celtics should be feeling pretty good about a possible playoff rematch.

Following the win, Boston (53-24, second in the East) is now just two games behind Milwaukee (55-22, first in the East) in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have five games remaining this season.