The brightest spot of the game for the Orlando Magic were their first few possessions.
Jalen Suggs rounded the corner and got underneath the rim, hanging in the air to fire a pass by two defenders to Wendell Carter for a dunk. He followed that up next with a pick and roll with Carter that ended with a lob to the basket.
That is the kind of ball movement and expert pace control the Magic were always hoping for from their young rookie. The kind of play they surely wanted to see push to the front with Cole Anthony missing a second game with a sprained ankle.
That light went out pretty quickly.
The Milwaukee Bucks, now fully healthy with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton back in the lineup alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, imposed their will the rest of the game.
They trapped, they pushed, they prodded defensively. They moved and whipped the ball around on offense. It was not like there was any resistance. They hit threes early and the Magic looked defeating, giving away the fight that has largely characterized this team except in select moments.
Moments like this one.
Orlando was down 20-6 quickly. The Magic were down by 20 and 30 points just as quick. The lead ballooned to as much as 51 points. Only a third-quarter run once again from the deep bench players made the deficit even look slightly abnormal.
This game was not even close. It was a blowout from the start and the Magic played a lifeless and frustrating game, never finding their footing and never really challenging the Bucks in a 123-92 loss at Fiserv Forum on Monday.
The Orlando Magic fell behind and by a lot in a thorough drubbing at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks to end their once-promising road trip.
The final score is not even the thing that matters. The Magic were horribly undermanned as injuries have gutted their guard depth early in the season.
They are a team with a lot of young players who often play exactly like young players — their rookies will have games where they disappear just as many of their other young players struggle to bring the same production consistently.
Sometimes those will coincide and the team will struggle.
But that should not excuse poor effort defensively or not even really giving an attempt to move the ball on offense. Orlando shot 36.6-percent and just 11 for 41 from beyond the arc. The shots were not good looks or particularly in rhythm.
The Magic got beat and may have always gotten beat. But they made it embarrassing themselves by not putting the attention to detail necessary to compete.
Here is hoping this is a one-time occurrence.
Player Grades
The Starting Lineup – F
We have spent the whole season to this point praising the team’s starting lineup. And yes, breaking up that group even just a little bit tends to lead to at best inconsistent and at worst very bad results. So being without Cole Anthony, statistically, the team’s most significant player, was already going to make things hard. But the starters have to give a little bit more than this, right?
It is not ever going to be a good thing when the opening five players just go out and lay an egg. Not even lay an egg but not even really commit to the gameplan or set a good tone for the rest of the game. They did not have to win their minutes, they just had to put up a fight.
The Bucks, like they did for three quarters on Saturday, just got whatever shot they wanted. And Orlando’s 3-point shooting was not there to save the team and at least give it a chance at halftime. The chemistry was all wrong and the wrong players were seemingly getting shots.
Mychal Mulder was the only starter to get into double figures with 13 points. Wendell Carter had eight points and 10 rebounds. But two of his makes came on the first possessions of the game. He was once again not involved in the offense. It never even felt like Jalen Suggs was on the ball enough to force his offense.
The Magic did not have their hierarchy set. Worse still, they played either forced or afraid to be aggressive with the Bucks’ defense smothering them.
Moritz Wagner – C+
At some level, Moritz Wagner deserves a little credit for being willing to shoot and never backing down. Wagner is typically good for mixing things and providing a little bit of spice to the lineup. His ability to space the floor the 3-point line is about the only reason he has the edge over other big men in the lineup for the spot minutes he plays.
Wagner did some good things like hit a few threes in scoring 18 points. He was at least willing to keep shooting — finishing 5 for 9 for the game. That might also be the problem because he settles for that 3-pointer way too much.
In this game, any bit of energy should be seen as a positive in a game like this.
Robin Lopez – B
Robin Lopez proved to be a solid contributor in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. He is just solid and knows what he does well. And he is such a difficult body to move that when he holds his ground, nobody is moving him. He gives the team stability, even if it would be hard to put him in more mobile lineups.
Following Saturday’s game, everyone called Lopez the perfect veteran. He knows he is not going to play much but he continues to give advice and observations to everyone — including the coaching staff on occasion. Everyone is using him as a resource.
Lopez though produced in these two games against the Bucks in the minutes he was given. Lopez scored 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting. The team was +16 with him on the floor. Mostly in the fourth quarter, which the Magic won 36-18 with the game long since decided.
Chuma Okeke – C+
Chuma Okeke has struggled for much of his season as he returned from a bone bruise in his hip. But Okeke is slowly starting to find his footing again. That is a very good sign for the team.
Okeke scored 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting. He did a good job setting his shot off the dribble and got his turnaround fadeaway from the post to get going too. That is a really good thing for this team. Okeke just needs some confidence and it seems like he is building. His defense remains solid, although not spectacular or consistent.
Milwaukee Bucks – A+
The Milwaukee Bucks played with their food throughout Saturday’s game and nearly got burned. The starters had to come back in and finish that one. They were not making that mistake again. They came out focused and determined to impose their will. Once the ball started rolling, Milwaukee was not going to stop. Why would they?
The Bucks scored 77 points by halftime and 105 points through three quarters. Nothing in the fourth quarter mattered. Honestly, leading 36-16 after the first quarter, nothing past the first quarter mattered.
This was a dominant performance from Milwaukee. And that is all that needs to be said.
The Magic fall to 4-14, 15th in the Eastern Conference. They return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.