December 22, (THEWILL) – The Milwaukee Bucks closed out a perfect 6-0 homestand by defeating the visiting Orlando Magic 118-114 on Thursday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points and 10 rebounds, while Damian Lillard chipped in 24 points, as Milwaukee held off a late Magic comeback attempt.
The Bucks used a 21-8 run in the third quarter to open up a 15-point advantage. However, the Magic kept the scores challenging down the stretch before ultimately coming up short. Antetokounmpo scored seven clutch points in the final 3:12 to help seal the win for Milwaukee.
In addition to Antetokounmpo’s dominant performance, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez were the only other Bucks to score in double-figures, posting 14 points each. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero had a team-high 23 points, whilst Moritz Wagner came off the bench for 21 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
The victory moves the Bucks to 21-7 on the season as they sit second in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the young Magic squad falls to 16-11 overall and remains in fifth place in the East as they suffer a fourth straight defeat.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
