The Orlando Magic couldn’t end their losing streak against Milwaukee, but they made the Bucks earn their latest victory.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks eased past the Magic for a 114-102 win Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
Cole Anthony finished with 18 points, while Moritz Wagner had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic (21-48), dropped their seventh straight regular-season meeting with the Bucks.
Wendell Carter Jr. pulled down 14 rebounds in his return to the lineup from an eye injury.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 19 points and Brook Lopez had 15 for the Bucks (44-25), who swept the three-game season series with the Magic. The Bucks also bounced back from Monday’s 146-125 loss to the Spurs and kept pace with the Nets in the race for the No. 2 seed in the East. The Nets beat the Bulls 115-107 on Tuesday to stay a game in front of the Bucks.
The Magic pushed the Bucks in the fourth quarter, getting within seven three times, with the latest coming after a Carter layup with 6:43 remaining made it 94-87.
The Bucks responded with a quick 7-0 burst as they stretched their lead back to 14 on a Holiday 3-pointer — his only one of the game — with 5:39 left.
The Magic couldn’t get any closer than 10 the rest of the way as they lost their fourth straight.
Magic center Mo Bamba was a late scratch due to a non-COVID illness. Orlando also played without the group of Michael Carter-Williams (ankle sprain), James Ennis (sore calf), Chuma Okeke (ankle sprain), Otto Porter Jr. (foot pain) and Terrence Ross (back spasms) for the sixth straight game. With just four games left, it’s unlikely any of the injured players will return, but Clifford confirmed before Tuesday’s game that Okeke is indeed done for the season. In fact, Okeke is not with the team for its season-ending road trip.
The Magic resume their season-ending road trip on Thursday in Atlanta against the Hawks. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Florida.
