After cruising through the seeding games with nothing to play for, Mike Budenholzer saw his team sputter in the opening game of their first-round series to end up on the wrong end of a surprising double-digit loss. In Game 2, the Bucks looked more like the team that had the league’s best record in the regular season as they prevailed by double digits to square the series. Since then, Milwaukee has coasted to double-digit victories in Games 3 and 4 to put the Magic on the brink of elimination. Giannis Antetokounmpo looks to push the Bucks into the Eastern Conference semifinals here.
It’s win or go home time in a first round matchup of the Eastern Conference playoffs down in the NBA’s bubble from the Sunshine State. The eighth-seeded Orlando Magic is the “road” team when they take on the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks with their season on the line in Game 5 of their series Wednesday afternoon. Orlando took the opening game of the series, winning 122-110 last Tuesday. Milwaukee evened the series with a 111-96 win in Game 2 on Thursday. When the team switched benches in Game 3, the Bucks took a 121-107 win on Saturday and followed that up with a 121-106 win Monday to claim a 3-1 series advantage. Can Orlando push this series to a sixth game or will their season come to an end here?
Orlando Magic Fighting to Stay Alive
Orlando started the series on a positive note with a double-digit victory but things have gone sour since that point. The Magic has dropped three straight and finds themselves in a situation where a loss would bring an end to their season. Orlando trailed by four after one quarter, by six at the half and tied the game at 81 with 25 seconds to play in the third quarter. The Magic unraveled from there, giving up a 21-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to trail 102-83. Orlando failed to make a sustained run down the stretch to end up with the loss. The Magic shot 41.4 percent from the field, including 18 of 45 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 49-43. Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
The Magic stands 12th in the postseason in scoring offense as they average 107.8 points per contest. Orlando is tied for 13th in rebounding with 42 boards per night while they are fifth by dishing out 24.3 assists per game. The Magic is 12th in scoring defense in the playoffs as they allow an average of 115.8 points per game. Nikola Vucevic leads the team with 29.5 points plus 10 rebounds per contest in the postseason. Terrence Ross puts up 17.3 points a night, Markelle Fultz kicks in 11.5 points plus 5.3 assists, D.J. Augustin chips in 12.8 points plus 6.8 assists and Evan Fournier is good for 11.5 points per contest. James Ennis III, Khem Birch, Gary Clark and Wes Iwundu have to contribute in the rotation. Aaron Gordon, who hasn’t played in the postseason, is questionable here with a hamstring injury while Michael Carter-Williams is out with a foot injury. Orlando is 13th in the playoffs when it comes to field goal percentage as they shoot 42.7 percent from the field. The Magic is 7th by knocking down 15 three-pointers a night. Orlando is 7th in three-point shooting as they connect on 38 percent of their shots beyond the arc.
Milwaukee Bucks Poised to Advance
Milwaukee has snapped back into form after snoozing through the seeding games and dropping the opening game of this series. The Bucks have now reeled off three straight wins coming into this contest and are ready to punch their ticket to the conference semifinals. Milwaukee used a huge 21-2 run over the final seconds of the third quarter and the opening minutes of the fourth to seize control of the game. The Bucks didn’t look back from there as they cruised to the victory. Milwaukee shot 49.5 percent from the field, including 17 of 41 from three-point range, and overcame going only 14 of 21 at the charity stripe. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 31 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in the win.
The Bucks enter this game fifth in the postseason as they average 115.8 points per contest. Milwaukee is third in rebounding with 49 rebounds per game and stands second in the league by handing out 27.5 assists per contest. The Bucks are fifth in the league in the playoffs in scoring defense as they allow an average of 107.8 points a night. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 31.2 points, 15.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Eric Bledsoe contributes 12 points plus 6.3 assists a night while Brook Lopez chips in 12.8 points a game. The Bucks need more from Khris Middleton (13.5 points), Wesley Matthews, Pat Connaughton, George Hill, Kyle Korver, Donte DiVincenzo, Marvin Williams and Robin Lopez in order to look like the team that steamrolled the opposition in the regular season. Milwaukee is fourth in field goal percentage as they shoot 48.9 percent from the floor in the playoffs. The Bucks are fifth by hitting 15.8 three-pointers a night. Milwaukee stands tied for 4th in three-point field goal percentage as they hit 39.1 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Latest Odds: Orlando +14 / Bucks -14 / 227
After their sluggish start in Game 1 of the series, the Bucks have regained their swagger with three straight wins by double digits. Milwaukee is clicking and they are primed to move on: look for them to dispatch the Magic by double figures to advance to the conference semifinals.