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The Bucks took a 2-1 lead in the series after a dominant 121-107 win over the Magic in Game 3 on Saturday. After a shocking loss in Game 1, the seeded East team came out in this game to prove that they are far superior to the Magic. On offense, Khris Middleton finally made it through to play for the Bucks as the All-Star goaltender finished the afternoon with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while logging on over 40% of his 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo once again achieved an MVP performance with 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. In defense, Milwaukee invaded Orlando, never letting the Magic get too comfortable throwing shots.
Orlando attempted to make a run in the fourth quarter, reducing what was a 34-point lead at one point to 15, but Giannis ‘intensity, in addition to the Bucks’ focused defense, never allowed them to put real pressure. on Milwaukee. Nikola Vucevic once again led the way for the Magic, posting a 20-point less efficient performance than his previous two games. The Bucks look like the dominant force they have been throughout the regular season and are just two games away from moving on to the next round. Game 4 in this series is Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Here are three takeaways from the Bucks win.
1. Khris Middleton has finally arrived
In the first two games of this series, Middleton was essentially non-existent for the Bucks on offense, combining for just 16 points, while shooting 25 percent from field and 20 percent from depth. It was incredibly different from what we expected from Middleton throughout the regular season, as he averaged 21 points and shot well over 40% from the field and beyond the arc.
The All-Star forward had to come out of his shooting fit at some point, and in Game 3 the cover finally came off the rim for him as he scored 17 effective points on 46.7% of the ground and shot 3 by 6. from depths. Middleton was playing with a lot more confidence this time around, taking advantage of smaller defenders like Terrance Ross trying to counter him. While it was never time to sound the alarm about Middleton’s lack of scoring in the first two games of this series, it’s encouraging to know that he was able to shake things up early in the playoffs. . Milwaukee is an incredibly deep team. However, this team relies heavily on the offensive play of Giannis and Middleton. After breaking the cap on Saturday, he can now simply build on that momentum and continue to profit from the mismatches against Orlando for the remainder of this series.
2. Dollars finally looked like the Bucks … for three quarters
During quarters of action, Milwaukee actually looked like the dominant presence we’ve come to expect from this team all season. The Bucks weren’t letting the Magic get easy looks and pressured other guys on the team unnamed Nikola Vucevic to beat them. Part of what makes this team such an intimidating presence is the intensity with which Giannis plays. Even when Milwaukee was up 30 points, the reigning MVP would take to the ground for loose balls and yell at every fastbreak dunk. He’s the engine that keeps this team going not only on offense, but on the other side of the ball as well, and his energy has echoed throughout the rest of the Bucks’ roster.
However, as the Bucks held on for the three quarters, the fourth quarter got a bit risky as the Magic started to make a run. Although the game was never really close, Milwaukee still allowed Orlando to finish the game shooting almost 50% from depth and 44% from field. This allowed guys like Ross and DJ Augustin to score 20 points and ended up spinning the ball over 19 times which gave Orlando 20 points. The start of this game aligned with the solid Milwaukee defensive team has been throughout this season, but the end of this game should always be used as an example for the Bucks that they still have some crunch to do before they do. facing harder opponents more deeply. in the playoffs.
3. We thank the Magic for firing back in the fourth quarter.
Orlando has already accomplished the unthinkable, which stole a game from the mighty Bucks, and that was without Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon. The last two outings didn’t go far in the Magic’s favor, and for three-quarters of Saturday’s game, it looked like Orlando was simply giving up. Shots weren’t falling for anyone like in Game 1, and frustration set in in the second quarter when James Ennis and Marvin Williams pitched in after the Bucks’ lead increased to well over 20 points. Ennis and Williams started to scramble and both were eventually kicked out of the game. At this point in the game, it looked like the Magic were just plain frustrated and defeated, but on the backs of Augustin’s 10 points in the fourth quarter, Orlando made Milwaukee sweat a bit and reduced the lead to 12 points. It didn’t come close to that, but after a disastrous three-quarters for the Magic, at least Steve Clifford can take comfort in knowing that his players were in a fight towards the end of the game.
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