The Bucks scored the primary factors of Saturday’s sport towards the Magic however by no means led once more at Fiserv Discussion board.
Milwaukee took an instantaneous 2-point lead however suffered a 2-point loss as Orlando snapped a 5-game shedding streak behind a mixed 51 factors from Paolo Banchero (29) and Cole Anthony (22).
The 111-109 victory marked the primary time in Magic historical past that 4 straight video games have been determined by two factors or much less.
Jamahl Mosley’s squad had misplaced the final three such video games (their final three have been dropped by a mixed 5 factors) however discovered a approach to maintain onto a lead that had grown to as many as 17 factors earlier than a fourth-quarter push by the Bucks.
“It’s positively a great signal for us, with the ability to execute on the finish sport,” Anthony stated. “Fact be instructed, this can be a sport the place it in all probability obtained a bit of nearer than it ought to have, however all of these things, I consider, is fairly simply fixable.”
Regardless, the end result not solely reveals that Orlando (30-35) can face up to late runs but additionally nonetheless compete and finally beat the most effective within the East.
Milwaukee (36-26) had received 4 straight and 9 of its final 11, which put the Bucks fourth within the convention.
“We’ve been hungry for a win,” Anthony stated. “It doesn’t get a lot better than a win towards a staff like this, on this atmosphere the place they’re one of many high groups within the East with a number of All-Stars of their dwelling health club. That’s excessive degree.”
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The street victory additionally places Orlando again within the No. 8 spot within the East with 17 video games remaining within the common season. The Magic have video games Monday at Houston, Thursday at New Orleans and Friday at Minnesota earlier than wrapping up this journey Sunday at Cleveland.
The Magic entered Sunday’s slate simply in entrance of No. 9 Miami by means of successful proportion (.462 versus .460) and three.5 video games in entrance of No. 10 Chicago. Orlando trailed No. 7 Atlanta by half-a-game and No. 6 Detroit by 5.5 video games.
Seeds 7-10 in every convention compete within the Play-In for the Nos. 7 and eight seeds within the playoffs.
In response to Banchero, how the Magic land within the playoffs isn’t as necessary as merely making it.
“We’ve handled loads this 12 months,” he stated Saturday evening. “After this All-Star break, we needed to come back out and simply give ourselves an opportunity to be within the postseason. It doesn’t actually matter what seed, we simply need to be in there.”
AP Photograph/Aaron Gash
Magic ahead Paolo Banchero, left, drives to the basket towards Bucks ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Brook Lopez, proper, through the first half Saturday’s sport in Milwaukee. (AP Photograph/Aaron Gash)
Defending their Southeast Division title, which they received final season after they reached 47 wins to earn the No. 5 seed within the playoffs, can also be a objective for Orlando, Banchero defined.
“No matter us dropping these video games at dwelling, we all know that we’re nonetheless within the working for the postseason and we’ve an opportunity to not solely get within the postseason however win our division,” he stated. “It’s between us and Atlanta, in order that’s nothing that we take flippantly. We need to accomplish that.”
However in an effort to seize the division requires stringing collectively a number of wins down the stretch of the season — one thing the Magic haven’t accomplished usually within the second half of the 12 months.
The group hasn’t received consecutive contests with solely sooner or later between video games since Dec. 21-23. Though Orlando received two video games in a row in February, there was a full week between because of the league break.
However with that first win in hand once more, the Magic know what’s potential as they head to Houston on Monday.
“Simply realizing that there’s a whole lot of basketball to be performed with this season, you’ll be able to’t let a troublesome 5-game stretch outline the remainder of the season,” Banchero stated. “You may have a possibility to make up for it each single evening.
“Us preserving that mentality of ‘one sport at a time,’ it’s going to repay.”
Jason Beede will be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up subsequent …
Magic at Rockets
When: 8, Monday, Toyota Middle
TV: FanDuel Sports activities Community Florida
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