There’s nothing like a few victories to turn the vibe around.
After losing four straight games, the Milwaukee Bucks have won back-to-back games as they closed out the home schedule of the regular season with a 117-99 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks (49-31) play at Oklahoma City on Friday night and then at Orlando on Sunday in the regular-season finale.
Most important to the Bucks is that there were no calamitous injuries, though backup guard A.J. Green did hurt his left ankle. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play after injuring his calf on Tuesday night, and Khris Middleton didn’t play on the second night of a back-to-back.
Bobby Portis has big game
Bobby Portis got the starting nod with Antetokounmpo out.
Portis took full advantage, hoisting seven shots in the first quarter. He made four of them, scoring nine points to help Milwaukee grab a 27-23 lead.
He stayed hоt in the second quarter as the Bucks pulled away.
Portis had 24 points on 11-for-15 shooting as Milwaukee grabbed a 64-50 advantage at halftime.
Portis finished with 30 points and a career-high five steals.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 117, Magic 99
Damian Lillard gets going in the third quarter
Without Antetokounmpo and Middleton, it seemed like Damian Lillard was poised for a big scoring night.
But Lillard started the game in distributor mode, handing out four assists in the first quarter.
Lillard got going in the third quarter. He was аggressive in looking for his shot, scoring 12 points as the Bucks put a stranglehold on the game.
Lillard finished with 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Five numbers
31-11 The Bucks’ record at Fiserv Forum in the regular season
03/17/24 Last time AJ Green shot two free throws in a game, against Phoenix. He drew a shooting foul in the first quarter against Orlando forward Joe Ingles
18-22 Orlando’s road record. The Magic are the only team currently in the playoff picture that has a worse record away from home than the Bucks (18-20)
61.1 Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shooting percentage of 61.1% in the regular season is the highest of his career
18 Rebounds for 6-foot-2 guard Pat Beverley over the past two games
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