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Business as usual. The Milwaukee Bucks would keep their foot on the gas pedal vs. the Orlando Magic, and coast to a 2-1 series advantage following a 121-107 victory.
After a quick start from Nikola Vucevic, the Bucks would quickly regain composure and put out arguably their best quarter in the series so far. A mixture of effective play from Khris Middleton and Donte DiVincenzo proved to be the missing ingredient for this Bucks team, and they looked dominant to start things off because of it. After one quarter of play, Milwaukee groomed a 31-23 lead.
Giannis’ perfect start would really make things difficult for the Magic, just as it does for every other team when Antetokounmpo decides to score at will. Add in the fact that the defense was playing lockdown, it equaled a fantastic half of basketball. Over the last eight minutes, the Bucks would feature a 25-9 run to earn a 70-43 halftime lead.
The third would feature a majority of play from the bench, as the 3-point barrage continued to rain down on the Magic. It’d be the same story that began the first two quarters of play in the third, as Milwaukee continued to hold a 20+ advantage at 99-77 heading into the final quarter.
After being up by as many as 34 points, the Magic would widdle things down to within 12 points in the fourth quarter. However, the Bucks would respond admirably, quickly opening back things up to a 20+ lead in the blink of an eye. They’d then put the cherry on top of a 121-107 victory.
Stat That Stood Out
Ladies and gentlemen, James Khristian Middleton looked to be back today. After just two points in Game 2, he’d conclude his afternoon with 17 points, and doing so in a way that looked very impressive. It finally appeared that he was back in his usual form, and boy, did it pay dividends for the Bucks. As soon as he started to click, you could see the team kick things into the next gear and really take off. Paired with the stellar play from Giannis, Orlando had absolutely no shot. It’s the same quality of play that we saw all regualar season prior to play down in the bubble. Next, the Bucks will just have to hope that it continues. If it does, Milwaukee should be in good hands.