Orlando Magic win big over Milwaukee Bucks, hardly satisfied

The Orlando Magic easily defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 20-point rout for time in two seasons. But they know it is just a first step for something bigger

The question had to be asked as the Orlando Magic went to the locker room with a six-point lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. It had been asked and answered frustratingly negatively for almost the entire season to this point.

What would the team look like coming out of the locker room? How would that third quarter go? Would the Magic give that lead away and have to fight or fight back to get into the lead?

For once, Orlando did the exact opposite. The team tore the doors open making 13 of 16 field goals and all six 3-pointers in the quarter, winning the quarter 37-22.

The Magic had no let up. They had no remorse. They never relented in defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 114-90 at Amway Center on Friday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) — 17 pts.; Jerryd Bayless (MIL) — 17 pts.

Elfrid Payton (ORL) — 22 pts., 10 assts.; Tobias Harris (ORL) — 19 pts.

They also had no satisfaction with it. Not if it would not build toward something in the next game.

“I think the most important thing for us is consistency,” Tobias Harris said. “We had some carry over form the last game, especially in the second half. That is a good sign for us. It’s about building those habits, being consistent with our effort and keeping it going from there.”

The third quarter was truly the deciding factor for the Magic and showed the growth and maturity of a team simply taking care of business. The team made shots, but picked up its energy after a somewhat uneven first half. The ball moved quickly around the perimeter and into the paint on drives and passes. The defense stood tall at the rim and players remained vertical.

The Magic were the aggressors. Exactly as they were against the New York Knicks to take the win. They got to the line for 22 free throws and continued their onslaught.

Maybe Orlando was due for a game to fall back to the mean. Scott Skiles said the team has been getting good shots they just were not falling. Maybe they all came — 12 of 27 from beyond the arc including three from Evan Fournier and Channing Frye and four from Tobias Harris — in one big rush. Things are not going to feel as easy as this win was.

Then again, the Magic put the effort and work in to get this win too. It came from balance with several players contributing a little. It seemed everyone up and down the roster — even Dewayne Dedmon in his 3:37 in the second quarter — contributed something.

“The ball was moving,” Elfrid Payton said. “We were able to penetrate, get kickouts and shoot them in transition. The ball was flowing good.

“It’s very important for us to start stringing real good games together and get on a roll. Just continue to do what we do and not just playing this game, but playing for ourselves.”

Payton led the with 22 points and 10 assists, making 10 of his 12 field goal attempts. Tobias Harris added 19 points and Evan Fournier scored 17. Victor Oladipo again had a strong game off the bench with 17 points and nine assists.

Payton said the defense was in attack mode and that helped get the ball out in transition. That played a key role as the Magic forced 22 turnovers and scored 32 points off turnovers. They had 15 fast-break points.

The defense was aggressive throughout the night and cut off Milwaukee passing and driving lanes. The Bucks did break it down a few times, but they were not often.

Especially in that killer second half.

At points where Orlando has historically faltered this season, the team instead expanded its lead. Once the Magic finished their push to take a larger lead, they never led by less than 11 points the rest of the way.

It felt like some affirmation of the work the team had put in. Everything seemed to click, even if it was simply a game the team was due for.

“We’re pretty relentless with looking at the tape with individuals and small groups and showing the progress that we’re making,” Skiles said. “You’d like to have wins to show for it. That’s a long team tonight and we turned it over a little too much tonight, but we also found a lot of open men and played a really unselfish game.”

The Magic did not seem bothered by the length much. They cleaned up and adjusted through the game. They had a complete and fulfilling win in many ways.

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It did not seem enough though. Attention afterward was immediately placed on Sunday’s opponent (not immediately, but there was certainly talk about that game) and the opportunity once again to be better than the .500 mark. There is also the matter of building momentum for the next game and the road trip ahead.

One win is meaningless if it does not carry over to the next one. That seemed to be the resolve coming from the locker room.

“It definitely shows progress, but we’re not satisfied,” Payton said. “Even tonight, we could have cleaned up our turnovers. So we’re just going to continue to work.”

Next: How do the Orlando Magic compare to the rest of the East?

The small accomplishment — a winning month for the first time since 2012 and a blowout win — are not the end goal. But they are well on their way.