The shorthanded Magic played Tuesday night.
But ultimately, the firepower of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard proved too much to overcome. The All-Star Bucks duo rallied back to Milwaukee after an early deficit, then held off the Magic late. a 114-109 victory against Orlando during the first game of the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Milwaukee overcame an 18-point fourth quarter from Jalen Suggs that helped Orlando take a 107-106 lead with 40.1 seconds remaining. But Lillard scored nine points in the final 52 seconds to help thwart Orlando’s attempt.
With this victory, the Bucks advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, where they will face the winner between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. A Magic team playing without its two best players is eliminated from the NBA Cup.
Magic fought without stars
The Magic earned a spot in the NBA Cup Round of 16 despite playing 21 of their previous 26 games without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who has been sidelined since Oct. 30 with a torn oblique. Then, when they got to Tuesday’s round of 16, they played without forward Franz Wagner, who tore his oblique in Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
For the Magic, that meant a starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Goga Bitadze, Wendell Carter Jr. and Tristan da Silva. With strong support from Moritz Wagner and Anthony Black, the Magic opened a 33-25 lead and kept Orlando competitive throughout.
But the two best players on the court took on the Bucks and ultimately propelled Milwaukee to victory. Antetokounmpo and Lillard combined to score 29 straight points for the Bucks during a span that stretched from the middle of the second quarter to the final two minutes of the third. Milwaukee’s defense clamped down in the third quarter, which the Bucks won 20-13, to take an 80-72 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Dame outplays Suggs in back-and-forth battle in 4th quarter
But the magic was not over. They tied the game several times in the fourth quarter before taking a 102-101 lead in the final three minutes on a Suggs shot. Wendell Carter Jr.’s free throws then put Orlando up 106-103 with 1:13 left.
But Lillard countered with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 106.
He then responded to a black free throw with a lay-up to regain the advantage at 108-107.
Lillard added four free throws in the final nine seconds to ice the game for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks. Lillard added 28 points and nine assists while hitting all 10 of his free throws. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, including 11 of Milwaukee’s final 13 points.
Bobby Portis Jr. was important off the bench, with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The Bucks overcame a night of sloppy ball handling by turning the ball over 16 times.
Suggs paced the Magic with 32 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Black scored 17 and Wagner added 13 points and three rebounds off the bench.