Milwaukee Powers Through: Bucks vs. Magic Game Three (August 22, 2020)
The Milwaukee Bucks took on the Orlando Magic in game three with the series tied at one a piece. The Bucks were looking to assert their dominance as the one seed, while the Magic were hoping to pull off another miracle.
Nikola Vucevic (20 pts, 5 reb) started off the game hot, scoring from just about everywhere on the floor. With the rest of the Magic continuously struggling at the start of games, it’s up to him to carry the load. Steve Clifford understood this, and Vucevic took six of Orlando’s first ten shots. Thus far, the Bucks have not had an answer to him, other than when he misses on his own.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, was getting some production from everyone. Their entire lineup had scored by the time there were six minutes left in the first. Khris Middleton (17 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) didn’t look too great shooting the ball once again, but he did get a three to fall. That was followed by a contested mid range, so it was looking like Middleton could have found his rhythm.
The Magic found success in games one and two because of their hustle defense and high energy. The way this game started out looked like they had lost some of that. There was one point where they turned the ball over three possessions in a row, and the defense was getting killed. Orlando had to pick things back up if they wanted to stay in the game, and the bench looked like they knew that.
The bench of Orlando picked up the defensive hustle big time once they checked in. Wesley Iwundu (6 pts, 3 ast) was everywhere and Khem Birch (6 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast) looked to harass Giannis Antetokounmpo (35 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk). The intensity on that end led to a few easy buckets in transition. That being said, Milwaukee still held a decent sized lead through one.
Antetokounmpo looked as unstoppable as usual. I can’t even begin to imagine how scary he must look running the break. An absolute freight train running at the rim. Add Milwaukee’s elite defense to the equation, and the Bucks were still expanding their lead in the second.
DJ Augustin (24 pts, 6 ast) was helping Orlando stay within striking distance, though. Milwaukee was not allowing many easy shots, but he was trying his best. Orlando just looked like they didn’t have the weapons to get past the Bucks’ defense.
To make matters worse, Milwaukee wasn’t missing. They were scoring the ball at such an efficient clip that it was tough for Orlando to make a dent in the lead. The Magic’s offense was not only struggling to get shots up, but they weren’t even making most of the shots they got.
James Ennis III (1 pt, 2 reb) and Marvin Williams (0 pts, 2 reb) got into a scrap behind the play late in the second. A fight for a rebound led to the altercation, which ended up stopping play for a few minutes. Both players were thrown out as Williams held Ennis III’s jersey and he retaliated by swiping the arm away. A much bigger blow for the Magic than the Bucks, as Ennis III is a starter, and Williams is simply a deep bench guy for Milwaukee.
As the first half came to a close, the game had completely gotten away from Orlando. Antetokounmpo didn’t miss a single shot in the first half, and the magic didn’t have a single answer for the Bucks on either end of the floor. Milwaukee took a 70-43 lead into halftime.
Nothing changed as the game moved into the second half. This was the type of game many people were expecting to see in game one, it just took the Bucks a game to get into their groove. As for Orlando, they continued to struggle scoring the ball.
Terrence Ross (20 pts) and Augustin were the only ones giving the Magic any offensive production outside of Vucevic. While they were shooting efficiently, the solid defense of the Bucks was making it so they couldn’t even get enough shots off.
The relentless attack of Milwaukee was simply too much for the shorthanded Magic. As the half went on Orlando saw some success scoring the ball and actually cut Milwaukee’s 30 point lead to 12. The Magic have always been a scrappy team that loved to fight. The only issue in this one was that the Bucks are just too good of a basketball team. The talent differential was too large for a full on come back to take place.
If the Magic want to have any chance in this series, Evan Fournier (13 pts, 2-8 from three) is going to have to seriously step up his game. Seeing as he was unable to get anything going other than a small stretch at the end of game one, Orlando’s chances are looking bleak.
The Bucks were able to take the lead in this series with a dominant 121-107 win over the Magic. Antetokounmpo is just too much for them to deal with. Make sure to catch game four of this series on Monday, August 24th at 1:30 PM EST.
