Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis Help Bucks Fend Off Magic 117-108

For the second consecutive game, the Milwaukee Bucks found themselves having to protect their lead in the fourth quarter after a 21-3 run by the Orlando Magic but nevertheless were able to fend off the Orlando come back and win 117-108. 

“Tonight, I think we were up 26 or 27, or 28, and they got hot and made several threes,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We had to bring our guys back in, and that group of [Orlando’s] that finished the game they were kind of hot, they stayed hot they played well. Could we play better? Yeah, we can definitely play better, but I think it happens. I’m not going to try and overreact or make too much out of it.” 

Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and star guard Jrue Holiday checked back into the game with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter after it appeared they would not have to return because of the lead. After Orlando cut the deficit to 107-101, Antetokounmpo hit two free throws in two separate trips to the free throw line, then slammed home a dunk off a Holiday assist to give the Bucks a double-digit lead again at 10 with a minute to go. 

For the Bucks, the nine-point win brought their record for the season to 9-8, making it the first time since October 27 that the team had a record above a .500 winning percentage. Milwaukee lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves that night to drop to 3-2 on the season, and then lost games to the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. All three losses came on the team’s home court.  

Antetokounmpo would go on to add two more points at the free throw line and finish with 32 points and 20 rebounds. This performance marked the fifth time in Antetokounmpo’s career that he finished with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game, and the third time with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds, according to StatHead.  

For Antetokounmpo, this was his first career game with at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks making it the 42^nd time in NBA history that a player ever recorded that stat line. NBA legend and Milwaukee Bucks great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most such games in NBA history, with 15, also according to StatHead. 

Milwaukee’s win marked the team’s first three-game win streak of the season, which comes off the heels of a two-game losing streak that saw defeats occur at the hands of the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. 

“It feels good, but we got to stay humble, keep getting better,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about the win streak. “Khris [Middleton] is going to keep getting more involved, getting to his spots and leading the team. Jrue going to do the same, Bobby [Portis] is playing great. We’re getting better. We’re competing. Obviously, that ends up in the wins, but moving forward as I said we got to stay humble, keep competing and hopefully we can grab some more wins.” 

Saturday’s game marked Khris Middleton’s third game back in the Bucks lineup after missing eight games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and while the 6’7 small forward is still looking to find his consistent shooting stroke again, he tied a season-high with eight assists in the game, with two of those assists going to Bobby Portis, who scored a then season-high 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. His season-high 15 rebounds helped the Bucks win the rebound advantage 55-47. 

“Just try to limit, stop losing on the glass,” Portis said when asked about his rebounding. “We’ve been getting tore up on the glass, offensive rebounds and teams getting all the long rebounds, loose balls, 50-50 balls. Just trying to go out there and bring some energy to the game, rebound in our area, outside our area and just trying to crash the glass as best we can, crash down, box our man out and just get off to the races and start running in the lanes.” 

Guard R.J. Hampton led the way for the Magic, scoring 19 points off the bench and dishing out nine assists. Hampton was one of the players most instrumental for the Magic’s last game surge, with Magic head coach Jahmal Mosley sticking with a bench lineup for the entire fourth quarter. Guard Mychal Mulder entered the game with 4:16 left in the third quarter and played the rest of the game. He finished with 13 points on 5-12 shooting and tied for a team-best +18 plus/minus. 

“Well, the first three quarters was a lot of us fouling,” Mosley said when addressing the differences between the first three quarters, and the fourth quarter, where the Magic outscored the Bucks 37-21. “Defending without fouling, we have to get better at. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is such a tough guard as he comes down the lane, you got to just make sure you show your hands and show him a crowd and a wall early, and once he gets in there; you just got to show your hands and play the vertical route and do our best to defend without fouling.” 

Orlando was without Cole Anthony for the entire game due to a sprained right ankle. The second-year guard from North Carolina is the Magic’s leading scorer so far this season at 19.6 points per game for a team that is still missing guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac as they continue to rehab and recover from ACL injuries. 

In Anthony’s place in the starting lineup, Mosley started veteran guard Gary Harris. The rest of the starting lineup featured big men Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. joining the front court with rookie forward Franz Wagner, and rookie guard Jalen Suggs from Gonzaga joining Harris in the backcourt. 

The win for the Bucks helped them continue to surge to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, which has been familiar territory for the franchise under Budenholzer. As the Magic continue their rebuild and youth movement, the loss helped solidify Orlando’s standing as the worst record in the Eastern Conference.