Paolo Banchero scored 26 points, Franz Wagner added 24 and the Orlando Magic weathered a 35-point, 10-rebound effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 112-97 on Saturday night.
Orlando took the lead late in the first quarter and never looked back, building an advantage of as many as 21 points behind a balanced offensive attack.
Jalen Suggs supplied 20 points as five Orlando scorers finished in double figures, including Moritz Wagner, who had 19 points off the bench. Moritz Wagner scored 12 points in the first half to help ignite the pivotal, second-quarter surge that gave Orlando the lead for the rest of the game.
Jonathan Isaac chipped in 10 points off the bench and grabbed three of his five rebounds on the offensive glass — part of an overall theme for Orlando on the night.
The Magic enjoyed an emphatic 22-4 advantage in second-chance points, a byproduct of their 15 offensive rebounds to just five for the Bucks.
Three of Banchero’s 12 boards were on the offensive end, and Goga Bitadze snared five of his nine rebounds on that end, as well.
Antetokounmpo carried the load for Milwaukee, which was playing a second straight game without Damian Lillard, who was out due to right calf soreness.
The Bucks were also without Jae Crowder for most of the second half, as he left in the third quarter with left groin soreness.
Beyond Antetokounmpo, Cameron Payne was the next-highest scorer for Milwaukee with 14 points. Bobby Portis had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Khris Middleton finished with 10 points and seven assists.
The Bucks shot 38-for-77 from the floor, but just 9-for-29 from 3-point range. The Magic went 10 of 26 from beyond the arc and 30 of 35 at the free-throw line. Milwaukee was a dismal 12-for-25 at the foul stripe.
With Thursday’s loss against Indiana, the Bucks have now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Milwaukee was within 34-30 early in the second quarter, but Orlando then pulled away, getting six points from Moritz Wagner during a 13-2 run that made it a 15-point game.
The Magic took a 65-49 advantage into the break, and the Bucks never seriously threatened from there.
–Field Level Media