Magic's Valiant Fight Falls Short to Bucks, Bouncing Orlando from NBA Cup

The Orlando Magic, minus their two best players, are shorthanded by definition in most matchups for the immediate future.

But for a team that emphasizes a by-committee approach and leads with it's take-no-prisoner defensive approach – a bar requirement that all five players on the floor must meet, they're up for a challenge with anybody.

In Tuesday night's NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Magic were overmatched on paper. With a national audience tuned in on TNT, however, Orlando morphed into a prizefighter.

An efficient scoring game in the first half turned into a grinder in the second, with each team trading blows. But despite their valiant fight, Orlando's effort fell just short inside the Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks defeated the Magic 114-109, dropping them to 17-10 this year and ending their bid for the NBA Cup.

As a result, Milwaukee advanced to the semifinal round of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas. Orlando, on the other hand, will rest as it awaits its next opponent – dependent on Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup between Atlanta and New York.

Minus the Magic's top options Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, plus absences from key rotational cogs Gary Harris and Jonathan Isaac, Orlando punched well above its weight talent-wise as it turned the contest into a blow-for-blow bout.

The Magic forced 16 turnovers, including 11 steals, and did their best to limit the three-point disparity.

A career-high 32 points for Jalen Suggs included 18 coming in the game's final 12 minutes. Four others reached double-figures – Anthony Black (17), Moe Wagner (13), Goga Bitadze (12, 14 rebounds) and Jett Howard (10) – and nine of the 10 Magic players to see the floor scored.

But, Milwaukee's All-NBA duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard proved hard to stop throughout the evening. Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 37 points on 15-of-24 shooting, and Lillard notched 28 points on 8-of-15 attempts.

Through the game's middle portion, they scored 28 straight points for the Bucks. In the game's closing stretch, Then, they combined for Milwaukee's final 16 points of the night to close out the Magic.

Bobby Portis also added 22 points for the Bucks in the win, who advance to Las Vegas for the semifinals of the NBA Cup for a second consecutive time.

Up Next

The Magic await the result of Wednesday's other East quarterfinal between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks.