Bucks Zone

The Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks dominate the Orlando Magic

No Giannis Antetokounmpo, no Jrue Holiday, no problem for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Matthew Dugandzic|
The Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks dominate the Orlando Magic
The Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks dominate the Orlando Magic

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Milwaukee BucksOrlando Magic

Not even the absence of their two All-Star players could stop the Milwaukee Bucks from pulling off a dominant win, tallying their 18th win in 19 games with a 134-123 defeat of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee pulled off the road win without Giannis Antetokounmpo (non-COVD-19 illness) and Jrue Holiday (sore neck) as Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, and Jevon Carter delivered the goods for the Bucks, who hiked the NBA-best record to 47-18.

The other guys step up

Lopez scored 26 points, while Middleton marked his first game as a starter with a 24-point output. Starting for the first time since Dec. 15, Middleton also added 11 assists.

The absence of Holiday was hardly felt as Carter was there to fill the void and added 24 points as the Bucks won a second straight game after the Philadelphia 76ers snapped their 16-game win streak on Saturday night.

Bobby Portis Jr. added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jae Crowder contributed 15 points for the Bucks, who continued their mastery over the Magic.

Milwaukee swept its three-game regular-season series with the Magic, who have not won against the Bucks in their last 14 meetings.

Great offensive night

The Bucks ran their offense like a well-oiled machine, scoring at least 30 points in each of the four quarters.

The game was actually close early. The two squads were tied at 51 at the 6:01 mark of the second period, but the Bucks suddenly got hot, uncorking a 19-9 run to end the first half with a 70-60 lead.

Milwaukee maintained a 10-point cushion after the third before erecting leads of as many as 16 in the fourth to ice the easy victory.

Cole Anthony came off the bench to finish with a team-high 23 points for the Magic, who dropped their second straight game to fall to 27-39.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.