Magic Fall Flat In Milwaukee

The Orlando Magic couldn’t find their rhythm Thursday night in suffering a lopsided 122-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Despite a strong effort from Paolo Banchero, who finished with 22 points, the Magic (23-18) struggled to keep up with Milwaukee’s dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lillard torched the Magic for 30 points, while Antetokounmpo added 26 points and 11 rebounds to put the Bucks (22-17) percentage points ahead of the Magic in the Eastern Conference.

final pic.twitter.com/Mlup7XXtGM

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 16, 2025

Slow Start Hurts Orlando

The Bucks jumped out to a 34-16 lead by the end of the first quarter, and the Magic couldn’t recover. After only scoring five points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, it left Orlando playing catch-up the rest of the night.

“That wasn’t our standard.” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That wasn’t Orlando Magic basketball.”

"That wasn't our standard. That wasn't Orlando Magic basketball." pic.twitter.com/eQ79uklCdO

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 16, 2025

Missed Opportunities

The Magic closed the deficit to 15 at halftime, 62-41, but couldn’t build momentum. Milwaukee’s defense stifled Orlando, limiting the Magic to 26% shooting from beyond the arc and 34% from the field. It doesn’t help that Franz Wagner was injured and couldn’t provide his 24.4 scoring average.

Milwaukee continued its dominance by showing how deep of a unit it has. With three minutes left in the third, Khris Middleton lobbed it to Giannis, who made the score look easy. The Bucks had a 92-68 advantage into the final period.

Perfectly-placed oop. pic.twitter.com/pT9hpfa7Mz

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 16, 2025

Lillard & Giannis Too Much To Handle

Lillard’s brilliance in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for the Magic. His deep 3-pointer midway through the final frame highlighted the Bucks’ dominance. Lillard shot 68% from the field and was perfect from 3.

Our point guard was on one tonight.

30 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 4 STL | 3 3PM | 68% FG pic.twitter.com/kNQ5hk4TrN

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 16, 2025

Antetokounmpo also moved into 55th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Walter Davis with 19,535 career points.

Up Next For Magic

It’s the third loss the Magic have suffered against the Bucks. Milwaukee claims a 3-0 season lead. Orlando hopes for better results when the teams meet again March 8.

The Magic look to bounce back when the travel to Boston to face the Celtics (28-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. (ESPN, Bally Sports Florida).