Milwaukee Near the East Semis, Middleton’s Late Fury Defeats Orlando, 121-106

Milwaukee Bucks are one step away from the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs after a win over the Orlando Magic tonight, 121-106. They now lead 3-1 in the series, and have the momentum after three straight triumphs.

“Don’t settle, keep our foot on the throttle,” Khris Middleton explained the current mindset of his teammates.

The Bucks’ forward was the key player for his team in the fourth period, once he delivered 18 of his 21 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field. Milwaukee was up three points coming into the final period, but opened the same with an 18-2 run which saw Middleton scoring 11 points and creating a huge swing for his teammates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0HDLsm3rdc

After that, the Magic tried to respond, but pretty much nothing happened. The best they could do was to cut down the deficit to seven points, 109-102, when Vucevic scored both of his free throws.

Unlike the previous game where the league-leading team routinely defeated the boys from Orlando, in this one, the Magic kept coming back, even though Bucks had a lead throughout the entire match. That was mostly because of the fantastic Nikola Vucevic who was superb as always.

The strong center scored 31 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists, 11-for-20 from the field, and 6-for-10 from downtown. However, like so many times before, he didn’t have someone to follow and give him some support. The next best thing in Orlando was Terrence Ross with 19 points off the bench and 8 rebounds.

Yet, Ross was one-of-eight from behind the arc, not being able to stretch the Bucks hard defense and give more space to his teammates. The Magic finished the match with 20 points from the paint, while on the other side, Bucks had 42.

Mike Budenholzer was thrilled with the way his boys play defense, and the two-time NBA Coach of the Year emphasized the paint protection as one of the key ingredients to this victory.

“I think the key for us is we are taking away the paint. We’re playing good defense, he’s (Vucevic) going to make some shots, he’s a good player, but we keep contesting, keep making it tough.”

Markelle Fultz added 15 points with seven assists and five rebounds, while Evan Fournier and Gary Clark had 12 points each. Fournier has been demolished by Milwaukee’s defense in the playoffs, as he averaged 11.3 points per game with a shooting percentage of 31.6% from the field. Just to remind you that this guy is one of the best shooters in the NBA. During the regular part of the campaign, the French international posted 18.5 points, with 46.7% from the floor.

Giannis Antetokounmpo with the loooong poster dunk on Nikola Vucevic pic.twitter.com/llQzHpJgZn

— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) August 24, 2020

Giannis had a team-high with the Bucks, 31 points with 15 rebounds and 7 assists, missing seven of his 21 FG attempts. Wesley Matthews scored 12 points, Brook Lopez 10 the same as Kyle Korver.

“It’s just intensity and attention to detail. Game 1 we came out a little flat. Credit the Magic, they made shots. … We had to pick up our intensity,” veteran Matthews stated. All of his points came from downtown.

Once mentioning three-point shooting, the Bucks were superb with 41.5%, hitting 17 of their 41 shots. The Magic themselves weren’t bad, 18-for-45, and 40%.

Milwaukee now has the match point, and if they use it, Budenholzer’s side will probably face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Erik Spoelstra’s team has a 3-0 advantage against the Indiana Pacers, and it is expected for them to solve the series in the next few days.