ORLANDO, FLA- Following a crushing 119-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, the Orlando Magic (27-39, 13th in East) returned to the Amway Center to play the Milwaukee Bucks (47-18, 1st in East), who currently own the NBA’s best record. Even with All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday dealing with injuries, the Bucks cruised by the Magic 134-123 for their 18th win in their last 19 games behind a well-balanced team effort.
Without Antetokounmpo or Holiday, Milwaukee still notched their highest scoring output since March First, courtesy of seven Bucks scoring in double figures. First and foremost, veteran center Brook Lopez recorded a team-high 26 points and six rebounds on 9-14 (64.2%) shooting from the field. Not to be outdone, three-time All Star forward Khris Middleton notched 24 points, four rebounds, and a team-best 11 assists on 5-9 (55.5%) shooting from the field in 31 minutes.
“I really think it’s just the caliber of players we have,” Lopez said following the Bucks’ win over the Magic. “We’ve got guys who are high basketball IQ and are unselfish, team first. It’s great to have a couple of those guys, but to have a bench full of them, we’re really lucky.”
Similar to Middleton, veteran sharpshooter Jevon Carter also posted 24 points and five assists in the win, going 9-13 (69.2%) from the field and 4-5 (80.0%) from three-point range. Meanwhile, forward Bobby Portis notched his 31st double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds as a starter. Finally, trade deadline acquisition Jae Crowder was exceptional for Milwaukee, recording 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals off the bench. Midseason free agent signing Joe Ingles managed to pitch in 12 points, three rebounds, and six assists alongside Crowder as part of the bench unit.
As a team, Milwaukee was extremely efficient, going 46-78 (59.0%) from the field, 10-28 (35.7%) from three-point range, and 32-34 (94.1%) from the free-throw line. Outside of Carter, only Middleton, Crowder, Ingles, and Meyers Leonard made a three-pointer, so Milwaukee did most of their scoring damage inside the arc. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Bucks went 36-50 (72.0%) on two-point attempts while scoring 56 of their 134 points in the paint.
In spite of the poor defensive performance, the Magic still enjoyed one of their best offensive outputs of the season on Tuesday, with six players scoring double-digit points and three players eclipsing 20 points. In 33 minutes, 2020 No. 15 draft pick Cole Anthony paced Orlando with a team-high 23 points and five rebounds on 9-17 (52.9%) shooting from the field off the bench. Meanwhile, 2022-2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Favorite Paolo Banchero recorded 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists, the 33rd time Banchero has scored 20+ points in a game this season.
Furthermore, Franz Wagner pitched in 21 points, three rebounds, and a team-high six assists on 10-20 (50.0%) shooting from the field, a typical well-balanced stat line for the 2021-2022 All Rookie First Team Selection. Alongside his brother in the starting lineup, Mortiz Wagner posted 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals on 6-7 (85.7%) shooting from the field in 21 minutes. Finally, Markelle Fultz (16/1/4/1) and Goga Bitadze (12/8/2/1) combined for 28 points on a sparkling 13-22 (59.0%) shooting for the Magic, who just weren’t able to shut down the red-hot Bucks.
“They are playing great basketball right now — confident, playing like a well-oiled machine,” Orlando’s head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They share, they move it, they trust their shot. You have to give them a ton of credit.”
After enjoying an impressive mid-season turnaround, Orlando has sputtered of late in their quest of making the 2023 Play-In tournament. Over their past seven games, the Magic have gone 3-4, with three of their four losses by double-digits. Fortunately, Orlando will have an opportunity to end their two-game losing streak as they will play the Utah Jazz (31-35, 13th in East) on March 9th at 7:00 PM ET. On the other hand, Milwaukee will face off against the new-look Brooklyn Nets (37-28, 6th in East) on March 9th at 7:00 PM ET as they continue their quest to finish the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.