Orlando Magic Drops Further in Standings with Loss vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Orlando Magic couldn't grab a win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 10, 2024

Apr 10, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) drives past Milwaukee / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic remains in the loss column after a 117-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Fiserv Forum.

Despite not playing with either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton, the Bucks started off strong and never held back. The Magic played without Franz Wagner for the second consecutive night, and the team clearly missed his offensive impact.

Apr 10, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) drives past Milwaukee / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

While Paolo Banchero managed to score 20 points for the second consecutive game, the rest of the team struggled to support him. Jalen Suggs added 18 and Cole Anthony scored a team-high 23 points off the bench, but they were the only three players to reach double figures.

The Bucks were led by Bobby Portis, who stepped up in a big way with a team-high 30 points. Damian Lillard added 29 of his own to comfortably beat the Magic.

The loss places the Magic in the No. 5 slot in the East with the Cleveland Cavaliers also pulling out a win tonight.

Orlando's place in the Eastern Conference is slipping and the team is running out of wiggle room to avoid the Play-In Tournament. With two games left, the Magic needs to win at least one and possibly both of its remaining contests in order to be safe from the Play-In.

The Magic returns to action on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Published Apr 10, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.