The Orlando Magic ended the Milwaukee Bucks’ three-game win streak in a blowout, winning 118-99. Kevin Porter Jr. led the Bucks with 28 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, while the Magic were led by Anthony Black, who had 26 points and five boards.
Let’s just say the first quarter was, uh, not great for either side, featuring a combined 10 turnovers (seven to the Bucks) and 21 missed shots. Both teams stayed about level for the first six or so minutes, with KPJ the only consistent source of offence for the Bucks. However, the Magic made a late push that coincided with the entrance of Franz Wagner, who was playing his first game in a long time after recovering from a nasty ankle injury. Wagner quickly scored twice in transition and upped Orlando’s pace, allowing them to create easier offence. The Magic would’ve had an eight-point edge after one if not for a Porter bomb in the dying seconds, up 27-22.
Surprisingly, Cam Thomas entered the game to start the second (wearing the dazzling Kobe Grinch shoes, I might add). The Bucks had the game tied at 31 within three minutes following multiple buckets from Bobby Portis. But then Anthony Black got “into his bag” as the kids like to say, dropping multiple triples and oh-so-nearly detonating at the rim to put the Magic up 41-33 about halfway through the period. The Bucks would respond with crucial threes from Rollins and Green to stay within shouting distance, though. The Magic were throwing brick after brick from deep; at one point, they were 3/20, which allowed the Bucks to take the lead late—up 54-51 at half.
The first half of the third was nip and tuck, with Porter, Turner, and Green carrying the scoring load for the Bucks. Milwaukee was down just two, 64-66, when the magic made their move, going on a 7-2 run, which ended with one of the smoothest fake-euro-step-I-don’t-know-what from Anthony Black (just watch the replay, man). Then the Magic finally (and I mean _finally_) got some threes to go, which blew the game wide open. Moe and Franz Wagner each had one, as did Magic first-round draftee Jase Richardson; after shooting a ghastly 4/21 from deep in the first half, they went 6/11 in the _third quarter_. Orlando was up 87-74 after three.
After not taking a shot in his first-half stint, Cam Thomas got to the rack for his first points as a Buck to open scoring in the fourth. Anthony Black would respond with a personal 6-0 run—concluded with a super dope alley-oop off the sideline out of bounds—to get the Magic lead back out to 15, 93-78. From there, it was all elementary; the floodgates just opened for Orlando. On the plus side, though, we did get to see Ousmane Dieng, who knocked in a smooth bucket in garbage time.
The Bucks got beaten at the possession game, shooting 77 shots to the Magic’s 86. This was in large part due to the Bucks’ turnover problems; they had 19, and the Magic had 11. Also, Orlando had 11 offensive rebounds to Milwaukee’s six.