daniel chigunwe
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO dropped 37 points to lead Milwaukee to a 114-109 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday, advancing the Bucks to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Damian Lillard tied the game at 106 with a step-back 3-pointer with 52.2 seconds to go, then gave Milwaukee the lead with a layup and four free throws in the final seconds. He finished with 28 points while teammate Bobby Portis added 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 32 points while Anthony Black added 17. Goga Bitadze scored 12 and pulled down a game-high 14 boards.
The visitors started strong as they held a 33-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Milwaukee rallied in the second quarter and moved on top 49-47 when Lillard’s layup capped a 6-0 run.
The end of the quarter went back and forth, and Milwaukee took a 60-59 lead into halftime thanks to a last-second Lillard-to-Antetokounmpo alley-oop dunk to cap off a 7-0 surge.
Antetokounmpo scored 20 in the half while Portis had 16. Moritz Wagner led Orlando with 13 on 6-of-6 shooting, while Black had 10. Wagner wound up scoreless in the second half.
In the third, the Magic powered to a six-point lead, but the Bucks went on an 18-4 run to close the quarter and take an 80-72 lead.
Orlando started the fourth strong after scoring just 13 in the third, as a 9-2 stretch pulled the Magic within one. The visitors pulled level twice before Suggs hit a shot that gave Orlando a 104-103 edge with 1:45 to go.
Lillard’s clutch shooting then gave Milwaukee the lead before the Bucks sealed it on defense, forcing Suggs to miss what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds to play.
Milwaukee improved to 5-0 in NBA Cup play and will play on Saturday night in Las Vegas against the winner of the Wednesday game between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks.
The Bucks posted their ninth straight home win against Orlando and their 17th victory in the teams’ past 19 matchups overall. — Reuters.
Online Reporter