Giannis carries Milwaukee over the line with 41 points
In a mixed-bag performance, the Milwaukee Bucks eeked out a win against the Orlando Magic, 109-106. Giannis, although he did have some early struggles, found his feet to the tune of 41 points (!) and 14 rebounds. Damian Lillard also chipped in a huge 29 points and seven assists. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero starred in his return with 34 points.
Game Recap
A 6-0 start from the Bucks behind two threes from Prince and Lopez was neutered by a 10-0 run from Orlando. Goga Bitadze played some solid defence against Giannis on a few plays, sparking the Magic’s run. The Bucks then settled in offensively behind some awesome two-way play from Antetokounmpo and a pick-and-pop three from Bobby. However, some live-ball turnovers to end the quarter allowed Orlando to be up 31-29 at quarter’s end.
The live-ball turnovers from Milwaukee didn’t stop at the conclusion of the first quarter, starting the second with a few more, leading to more runouts. Lillard finally got the Bucks going with a three and a contested layup after basically a five-minute scoring drought. Giannis got to the rack a few more times to get the Bucks back within one, but a blown layup from Dame in transition led to a Caleb Houstan three down the other end to force the Bucks TO, down 42-46. Neither team could really separate much for the rest of the term, with the Magic up 51-50 at the half.
By and large, both teams went blow for blow in the opening minutes of the third. Dame and Giannis kept Milwaukee close, and even got them the lead for a brief moment, behind some largely unsustainable perimeter shooting. The Magic maintained the lead, but Giannis kept them close with crucial buckets to halt their runs, including two ridiculous dunks. Big buckets from Gary Trent Jr and Khris Middleton kept them in it, down 78-81 going into the fourth.
Giannis began the quarter on the bench, and Bobby got the Bucks on the board right away with a personal 4-0 run. Dame then powered the Bucks to an 8-2 run to give them a 92-87 lead with about six minutes remaining. Giannis came back in and scored a layup, jumper, and push shot on consecutive possessions. Paolo Banchero and Cole Anthony made crucial buckets for the Magic to cut the lead to three before Giannis got fouled and sent to the line with 2:35 to go, both of which he missed. A nice defensive possession and an awesome Dame-Giannis pick-and-roll had the Bucks back up five. Banchero then responded with a ginormous Kawhi-esque three in the final minute to get the Magic within one with 22 seconds left. I’d have to write a novel to explain everything that happened after, but the most hilarious part was a clock malfunction with about five seconds to go and the Bucks up three. It was determined that the Magic would get the ball back with 0.4 on the clock, and Banchero missed, thank goodness.
Stat That Stood Out
The stat that won Milwaukee this game was their points in the paint, besting Orlando 48-34. The Magic clobbered the Bucks in second-chance points (21-8) and fast-break points (16-9). Giannis finding his feet in the fourth quarter with an array of shots was massive.
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