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Season Series: Tonight in Milwaukee; Jan. 10 in Orlando; Jan. 15 in Milwaukee; March 8 in Milwaukee
Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orlando | 97.6 | 110.5 | 105.7 | 52.2 | 30.2 | 15.4 | 28.2 |
Milwaukee | 99.1 | 113.9 | 113.0 | 56.8 | 23.6 | 14.1 | 27.2 |
OMD Prediction
Our Record: 17-9/9-17 ATS
The Orlando Magic may have shocked everyone with their win Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.
Unlike the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers after Paolo Banchero's injury, the team did not look shell-shocked. They looked ready and eager to play hard, certainly lifted by the energy from the Kia Center crowd. Orlando looked more like itself than it did on that first injury.
At the very least the Magic were not going to go down easily. And the Suns let them hang around, unable to put them away after taking 11- and 12-point leads early in each half. That is a credit to Orlando's fight and spirit. The Magic made the shots to stay in the game and then Jalen Suggs finished the game.
The question, as always, is whether the Magic can do this consistently. And then, on top of that, can they do it on the road?
The NBA Cup feels secondary at this point as the Magic try to find their formula to win. But there is still this opportunity to get to Las Vegas and the semifinals of the tournament. Anything can happen in one game.
The game against the Milwaukee Bucks will be a challenge. The Bucks have won 10 of their last 13 games and look more like the Bucks team everyone believed would compete for a title this year. Their title window is still certainly open.
And it feels like these are two teams heading in opposing directions. . . for now.
3 Things to Watch
3. The 3-point balance
The Orlando Magic are not a 3-point shooting team. Their attempts are up this season—12th in the league at 38.0 attempts per game—but they cannot make threes to save their lives—last in the league at 31.1 percent. At this point in the season, it will be hard for that to change dramatically. But the team is not going to stop shooting.
What the Magic will do though is prevent other teams from shooting threes. And that is the real trick of this defense and how the Magic battle their three-point deficit. Orlando leads the league giving up 32.2 3-point attempts per game. The next closest team gives up more than two 3-point attempts per game.
Opponents shoot 36.5 percent from three, 19th in the league. Orlando will give up makes. But the strategy is to reduce the volume. You cannot make threes, if you do not take threes. It is working so far.
That will remain a big test for this team. The Milwaukee Bucks are third in the league making 39.4 percent of their threes and 10th in makes with 14.5 3-pointers per game. Orlando will have to limit the three-point line to stay in the game.
2. Magic vs. Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been carrying the Milwaukee Bucks throughout this season. It has been yeoman's work even with the Bucks struggling to find themselves this year.
Antetokounmpo leads the league averaging 32.5 points per game and shooting 61.1 percent from the floor. He adds 11.6 rebounds per game and 6.2 assists per game for good measure. But Antetokounmpo is still as dominant and forceful as he always is.
The Orlando Magic losing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner takes away two potentially strong defenders to throw at Antetokounmpo. Jonathan Isaac remains QUESTIONABLE with what is now being called a right hamstring strain.
The Magic switch a lot but their team lacks some of their trademark size right now. A lot of defensive attention is going to be put on Antetokounmpo and it will be a team effort. Wendell Carter is not the classic defender for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
1. Bench Production
The last time the Orlando Magic played the Milwaukee Bucks was a vital game for both teams. Last year's regular-season finale was a win-and-in game for the Magic while the Bucks were fighting for the 2-seed. Early in that game, the Bucks looked like they would be the dominant team.
Then the Magic's bench took over and the game was virtually over by halftime. Orlando went on a 19-3 run in the second quarter to cap off a 25-12 second quarter. The Magic's bench won the day with Cole Anthony scoring 13 points and Moe Wagner scoring 10. That gave Orlando a wide berth to dominate the rest of the game—Paolo Banchero had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, and Franz Wagner had 25 points.
The Magic's bench remains one of its strengths. Orlando averages 39.0 points per game, sixth in the league. That bench is getting stretched thin right now with so many players filling in for the starting lineup.
Orlando needs Moe Wagner to continue his scoring binge, averaging 12.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. They will need Cole Anthony to copy his 14-point showing from Sunday's game.
The Magic's balance will be vital in this game against the Bucks. Milwaukee averages only 17.6 points per game off the bench. But they get a ton of production from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Magic need points wherever they can get them.