Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Dec. 28, 2021): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction

The Orlando Magic close the 2021 calendar year with a pair of matchups with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks as they continue to deal with a COVID outbreak.

Orlando Magic (7-27) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (22-13)

Time/TV: 7 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-BUCKS ON FUBO TV
FOLLOW LIVE @OMAGICDAILY
Line via WynnBet: Bucks by 14
Tickets: $55-$995 on StubHub
2022 Season Series: Bucks 117, Magic 108 in Milwaukee on Nov. 20; Bucks 123, Magic 92 in Milwaukee on Nov. 22; Tonight in Orlando; Dec. 30 in Orlando

OMD Prediction

The Orlando Magic are still waiting to get players back from health and safety protocols. Moritz Wagner and Ignas Brazdeikis should be available to play Tuesday and R.J. Hampton returned Sunday. This is still a severely depleted team. And Cole Anthony will miss Tuesday’s game as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the opposite right now. They have zero players in health and safety protocols. Where the Magic’s injury report requires multiple pages, the Bucks have just one player on their injury report — Brook Lopez is out recovering from back surgery.

Milwaukee is a fully operational battle station. And the way Giannis Antetokounmpo closed the game on Christmas against the Boston Celtics, they are playing really well.

3 Keys To Watch

The offense without Cole

The Orlando Magic struggle a ton when they do not have Cole Anthony in the lineup. The numbers really support the drop-off in the team’s offensive push and scoring production when he is out of the game.

The Magic score 108.2 points per 100 possessions when Anthony is on the floor. That is a mark only bested right now by Admiral Schofield. When Anthony is off the floor, the Magic score just 95.7 points per 100 possessions. This remains one of the biggest splits of any player in the league.

Things have changed some with the Magic’s offense playing better of late too. Since the Magic made all the emergency signings, they have an overall offensive rating of 104.2 points per 100 possessions (the team’s overall average is 102.6 points per 100 possessions). With Anthony on the floor, that jumps to 125.7 points per 100 possessions — and 100.2 points per 100 possessions when he is off the floor.

Do not be surprised if the Magic struggle to score.

Fully operational battle station

The Milwaukee Bucks are pacing themselves. They have essentially admitted that. Now that they have a title under their belt, they know the process and how to be ready for that point. And the Bucks will be ready.

They have had some injuries that kept their main trio from playing together a ton. But when they are together, they are very good. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been a killer trio in the entire league.

The group has only played 253 minutes across 16 games together with a net rating of +13.1 points per 100 possessions. They have a 101.1 defensive rating as a group though.

They remain one of the most dangerous trios in the league. And they are clearly just getting going.

10-days renewed

The Orlando Magic will retain Hassani Gravett and Admiral Schofield as their 10-day contracts were renewed Monday. They both have earned the opportunity and both could well be back in the starting lineup this week as players still come off injury.

They play hard and they stay within their roles. That is a really valuable thing for the team and for their NBA chances. They do not try to do too much and they have found success because of it.

None of these guys — including Freddie Gillespie and the often criticized Tim Frazier — are going to change the world. The team still needs an influx of talent and they need players healthy before they move forward.

But the Magic have to be happy with the effort they have seen from them and the contributions they still have made.