The Orlando Magic stunned the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game of their opening round series Tuesday. It was a legitimate shock, as the Magic looked terrific and the Bucks — which sleepwalked through the Bubble’s seeding games — appeared to have some questions to answer. A few days and two games later, and boy, does that all seem pretty funny in retrospect.
Milwaukee trounced Orlando in Game 2 and once again asserted themselves in Game 3 on Saturday. Thanks to their most recent effort, a 121-107 win that wasn’t quite as close as the final score indicated, the Bucks are now 2-1 up in the series. As usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo magnificent: 35 points on 12-for-14 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists, and a steal.
Giannis (35 PTS, 12-14 FG) was unstoppable in Game 3
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— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 22, 2020
Welcome To The Playoffs, Khris Middleton
No one on the Bucks needed a big game more than Middleton. He scored 14 points and shot horribly in Game 1, and despite the win in Game 2, the All-Star forward scored two points. While his abilities to rebound and distribute were there, the scoring and shooting that makes him such a valuable player — particularly next to Antetokounmpo — had abandoned him.
He still isn’t at his best, but Middleton had himself a nice Game 3. He scored 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting while connecting on three of his seven attempts from deep. Middleton also pulled in eight rebounds and doled out six assists. Again, this is not the level that Middleton can reach at his best, but using this series as a springboard to achieve the level he’s capable of achieving is gigantic for Milwaukee going forward.
The Bucks Have To Play 48 Minutes
At one point in the third quarter, Milwaukee found itself up by 34 points. It’s not an unfamiliar spot for them to be in this year — the Bucks were quite good at mashing opponents during the 2019-20 season, and normally, the fourth quarters are just formalities, as both teams end up clearing their benches and going on cruise control.
The thing that’s so interesting is that while Milwaukee picked up two double-digit wins, both included them switching off for a bit and Orlando staging a comeback. This time, the Magic got within 12 in the fourth quarter. They never got closer, and Milwaukee was able to create some space between the two teams before Orlando rallied late, but the fact that they made it to that point made me raise my eyebrows.
Part of this is due to the fact that Orlando plays really, really hard and has zero sense of quit in them. But as the postseason goes on, the Bucks can’t have these sorts of big lulls that give an opposing team a chance to rally back and close the distance. A team like the Magic — especially this extremely hobbled version — don’t have anywhere near the firepower to really threaten Milwaukee. Teams like Boston, Miami, and especially Toronto do.
A Moment Of Appreciation For The NBA’s Most Fun Backup Backcourt
God, watching D.J. Augustin and Terrence Ross when they’re both cooking is a blast. The pair played really well off the bench for Orlando on Saturday — the former had team-highs with 24 points and six assists, while the latter chipped in 20 points. Both shot 8-for-13 from the field and connected on four threes.
The Magic are almost certainly not going to be championship contenders any time soon. They’re in a position to consistently be a very solid and very annoying team going forward, particularly if they can stay healthy, but it’s hard to see them competing for a ring barring something unforeseen. Still, whether it happens in Orlando or elsewhere, it’d bee really cool to see Augustin, 32, or Ross, 29, suit up for a title contender sometime before their careers come to an end. Every team could use Augustin’s steady hand and ability to run an offense, or Ross’ ability to catch fire and score in bunches. And if they take another game off of Milwaukee in this series, odds are at least one of those two dudes will be a big reason why.