Orlando Magic dodge Giannis in Milwaukee as two-time MVP ruled out

The Orlando Magic won't have to defend Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday night, as the former two-time MVP will sit after playing in a 113-99 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

That's going to make it a lot easier to extend their road losing streak to four games and make the Bucks' already difficult task of reaching the postseason a tougher chore.

Antetokounmpo played his third game since returning from a calf injury and logged 27 minutes, scoring 27 points and adding nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Because Utah put up a fight deep into the fourth after falling behind early by double-digits through a 13-point first quarter, the Bucks couldn't afford to sit the "Greek Freak" down to give him a chance to play vs. the Magic. He's been ruled out due to calf injury management.

This will be the third straight matchup where Antetokounmpo is unavailable for the Bucks against the Magic as he was still on the mend when Milwaukee played a pair of games in Orlando prior to the All-Star break on Feb. 9-11.

Ironically, Antetokounmpo last played against he Magic in a 111-109 loss on March 8, 2025, scoring 37 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. One year later, he'll be unavailable as his Bucks hope to pull off an upset to stay on the heels of the Charlotte Hornets for the No. 10 seed, entering Sunday's action four games back.

The Magic are even with the Miami Heat for the Southeast Division lead, although they are up by a percentage point and own the tiebreaker by virtue of a 4-0 lead in the season series. This is the final meeting of the season between Orlando and Milwaukee and will decide whether the Bucks can extend their run of winning or tying a season series against the Magic to 14 seasons.

The Magic last won a season series from Milwaukee in 2011-12, but have gone 14-35 since, which includes an upset loss (116-108) in the final game prior to the break. Cam Thomas, having just been signed after getting his release from the Brooklyn Nets, scored 34 points to complement a Kevin Porter Jr. triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists).

Porter has also been ruled out against the Magic, sitting his second consecutive game due to right knee synovitis. In order to pull off an upset, Rivers will need newcomers Ousmane Dieng and Thomas to produce as catalysts.

Milwaukee was outscored by 45 points vs. the Celtics and Hawks in going 0-2 upon Antetokounmpo's return from a 14-game absence prior to defeating Utah.