By Eric Nehm and Rebecca Tauber
The Orlando Magic kept it close, but it’s the Milwaukee Bucks that will advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinal after beating the Magic 114-109 Tuesday night.
The two teams traded the lead in the fourth quarter, with the game coming down to the final minute. Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard hit a 3-pointer, tying it 106-106. A layup brought the Bucks ahead and an Orlando challenge gave Milwaukee possession of the ball, where they went on to hit a series of free throws.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 37 points, plus four blocks and seven rebounds, while Lillard scored 28 and Bobby Portis scored 22.
The Magic pushed the Bucks the entire game, with Jalen Suggs scoring a career-high 32 points. It’s worth remembering that Orlando is missing two of its best players with injuries in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
But it’s ultimately the Bucks will head to Las Vegas to play the winner of Wednesday night’s quarterfinal between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
How Milwaukee could win the NBA Cup
Despite their rough start to the season, the Bucks are actually a good basketball team. Since Nov. 1, a date that removes their terribly played first five games of the season, the Bucks are 8th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating, according to Cleaning the Glass.
On top of that, they added Khris Middleton three games ago and he has made an instant impact in just 20 minutes per game off the bench. That definitely gives them a chance to go to Las Vegas and return to Milwaukee NBA Cup Champions, but they aren’t perfect.
The Bucks have already lost by double digits to both teams they could potentially face in the semifinals in Las Vegas, and both the Hawks and the Knicks have the guard play that can best stress out the Bucks’ defense. Trae Young and Jalen Brunson are both capable of having big nights and sending the Bucks home early from Las Vegas. — Eric Nehm, Bucks senior writer
Required reading
- Who will win the NBA Cup? Predicting the knockout rounds and beyond
- What to know about NBA Cup 2024: Format, start dates, favorites and more
(Photo: Benny Sieu / Imagn Images)
