Back in the starting lineup for the first time since December, Khris Middleton helps lead the Bucks past the Magic
ORLANDO – The Milwaukee Bucks are in a brutal stretch of games, but they toppled the Orlando Magic for the second time in a week in winning 134-123 Tuesday night at the Amway Center.
It was the Bucks’ third win in four games over a span of seven days, and it kept them three games clear of the Boston Celtics in the loss column for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee holds the league’s best record at 47-18 and tied Boston and New York for the most victories on the road this season with 20. Orlando dropped to 27-39.
Box score:Bucks 134, Magic 123
Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Jevon Carter spark Bucks
The lone member of the Big Three who played started for the first time since December, and the Bucks’ iron man continued his stellar play in leading the Bucks to victory. Khris Middleton played 31 minutes, but his presence in the starting lineup was more than just an emotional boost.
He came out and assisted on three quick baskets and then made his first three shots to create 13 of the Bucks’ 15 points of the game.
Brook Lopez was on the receiving end of two of those assists, which were the Bucks’ first points, and the 7-footer immediately established himself in the paint.
“It’s just the way it played out,” Middleton said. “Just trying to play the game. I think Brook did a great job of making himself available, especially at the rim with pick-and-rolls and duck-ins and what not. He’s one of the biggest guys and he’s underneath the rim you’ve got to give him the ball. It’s an easy basket. So, just kind of reading the game and Brook being adamant getting a touch deep in the post.”
Middleton tied his season high with 24 points and set a season high with 11 assists, which is the eighth time he’s had at least five assists to go with double-digit points.
“It’s just the kind of high-level, talented player he is,” Lopez said. "It’s crazy. We played so long without him this season but it’s obviously important for him to get healthy and get right. We’re happy he’s back and he started tonight, which is also exciting too. We got a little ‘Starter Khris,’ which is always good action to have.”
Middleton's minutes total was significant in that it tied a season high as well (Dec. 9 at Dallas) and it was the first time he played consecutive games (albeit with two days off in between) with at least 25 minutes since a four-game stretch Dec. 2-9.
He was also 13 for 14 from the free throw line and had a key steal and rebound late in the game.
“I think it’s just more important to get the minutes,” Middleton said. “I mean, starting is kind of up in the air or whatever. Finishing games and playing minutes I think is what most guys want to do. They want to finish games, they want to play as many minutes as they can. Felt great.”
Lopez led the Bucks with 26 points and is averaging 19.5 per game since the all-star break. It was the 17th time Lopez scored at least 20 points and he tied a season high with nine free throw attempts, making eight. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lopez clearly focused his efforts inside on offense.
"We tend to talk about his defense so much, but offensively he's just been really good too," Budenholzer said. "It was great to get him going early. Khris finding him; Khris has a knack. Again, I think it got us off to a good start, it got Brook off to a good start. It's good to see him scoring in a variety of ways."
Joe Ingles filled in as a point guard when Jevon Carter needed a breather, and Jae Crowder was the one who drew the assignment of guarding rookie of the year candidate Paolo Banchero at times. The Bucks went 10 deep in the first half, and nine players scored as Milwaukee took a 70-60 lead.
Orlando is a young team but plays hard and has talented players in Franz Wagner and Banchero, and the Magic stayed connected to the Bucks throughout. But whenever it appeared the Magic may make a run, the Bucks managed to force a turnover or get to the free throw line.
Crowder and Carter punctuated that ability in the early part of the fourth quarter when the Magic cut the Bucks lead to 102-94 in the opening minutes. Crowder came up with back-to-back steals, which led to a Carter three and a three-point play for Crowder to push the lead back to a comfortable 110-94 with about 10 minutes to go.
The 16-point margin was the Bucks' biggest to that point, and though the Magic would cut the deficit to single digits in the final minutes of the game Orlando just didn’t have enough firepower to get all the way back into it.
Carter put the punctuation on a 24-point night with consecutive layups late. He was 4 for 5 from behind the three-point line, and it was the 11th game he made at least 4 threes.
"There were just different stretches where it got tight and Jevon made a bunch of plays," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The threes in transition, the (forced) turnovers – and Jae the same thing, the turnover and the and-one – those plays are really hard when you're trying to dig yourself out of a hole and we're getting quick threes and and-ones and stuff like that, it allows you to keep a lead."
More:Bucks begin to sacrifice with title in mind after Jae Crowder, Goran Dragić acquisitions
Bucks targeted Magic for Khris Middleton to return to starting lineup
It's been a long back to a familiar place for the three-time all-star Middleton, as he started his first game since December. Budenholzer and Middleton said this game was a target date for him to not only start, but also push past 30 minutes of action.
The Bucks' coach then let it be known Middleton is back with the starters going forward.
"We're fortunate to have a guy like him, we were fortunate to have him come off the bench for a good long stretch," Budenholzer said. "He did amazing things there and he's going to continue it where he's always been, in our starting lineup."
After the game, Middleton acknowledged the 14-game, 42-day process to get to Tuesday tested his patience but said through it all he felt great except for after the Boston game on Feb. 14, which caused him to miss the game in Chicago on Feb. 16.
"Other than that every game I felt great, and that's just the test to push me to the next minute load or minute restriction, whatever you want to say," he told the Journal Sentinel. "So I just had to trust and stay patient with it and try not get too frustrated and try to push for more, even though I do, but reasonably."
5 numbers
6 Rank on the Bucks all-time free throw list for Middleton, as he passed Marques Johnson in the third quarter with his seventh made free throw.
18 Points for Magic big man Mo Wagner after starting the game 4 for 4 and scoring 12 points in the first quarter.
31 Double-doubles on the year for Bobby Portis, good for 10th in NBA. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds in getting the start for the Bucks.
7 for 18 Shooting line for Banchero in scoring 20 points. In his previous two games against the Bucks, Banchero was just 4 for 16 and 4 for 14.
Bobby Portis: “Watching film, getting under screens on Paolo. Obviously not really a three-point threat just yet in his career, but he’s still making ‘em with time and space. Being on a string, making it tough on him, staying down on his shot fake, knowing he does a lot of shot fakes, get guys in the air for easy looks, push shots and up and unders. Staying down on those. Just making him work.”
100 Rank all-time in made threes for Crowder after his second three-pointer of the night, tying Metta World Peace.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday out for Bucks
Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo fell ill Tuesday, which caused him to be scratched.
The status of point guard Jrue Holiday will be worth monitoring going forward, as he popped up on the injury report on Monday with neck soreness and then was ruled out with the issue Tuesday.
"Visiting with him a little bit, I think it's just kind of been coming so I don't think it was – so if it was incident based I don't think it was the Washington game – it's just kind of gotten kind of progressively worse," Budenholzer said. "Hopefully its short term. We'll just see how he feels day to day."
It was the 13th game Antetokounmpo missed this season and the 12th for Holiday.
Carter started at point guard for the Bucks, but with recently acquired Goran Dragić also out (left knee soreness) the team made another roster move to provide some depth in the back court.
Bucks sign Lindell Wigginton to two-way contract
The Bucks maxed out their roster on Tuesday by signing guard Lindell Wigginton to a two-way contract, filling the spot vacated when the team waived Sandro Mamukelashvili. Wigginton had played the entire season with the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 18.6 points and 5.8 assists in 35 games.
“I felt it was good for me,” he told the Journal Sentinel. “Obviously one of the reasons why they kept me in the G League system is to go down there and just continue to get better, and I think I did that during my whole time with the G League team. It didn’t go in our favor with like wins and losses column, but I think as an individual I got better.”
He played in 19 games with the Bucks last season while also on a two-way deal.
"We're big fans of Lindell the player first and foremost, but the human too," Budenholzer said. "He's great with our guys ... there's a comfort level with him. I think he earned a lot of our trust and respect when he played with us last year. He knows our stuff, been playing with the Herd in the G League, so it made sense so it was a good add for us. The timing, the fact he was here playing in Orlando this morning in a game now will be suited up and ready to play tonight. We've been monitoring and watching him obviously and now to add him to the group is good.'
The Herd played the Magic’s G League affiliate Tuesday afternoon.
“Just shows that they trust in me, they trust in me to come here and do whatever it takes to just help the team win," Wigginton said. "But yeah, just shows that they trust me a lot. The coaching staff as well as the front office. I feel its great for me. Another opportunity for me to go out and show what I can do in this league. I’m blessed.”
Wigginton (and Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp) played with the Herd against the Lakeland Magic, and he said that the last time he played two games in a day was while he was playing AAU ball in high school. Wigginton played a few seconds in the first and fourth quarters.
“Definitely a different scenario," he said with a laugh. "I’m ready whenever, I’m ready whenever, I’m ready whenever. Shoot, I’m just ready to play however many minutes I go out there and play. It don’t matter to me.”
Plays of the game are Jevon Carter's back-to-back threes in the third quarter
The Magic had cut a 13-point deficit to seven early in the third quarter, but then Carter knocked down consecutive three-pointers to push the lead back to 13 at 81-68 with 8:44 to go in the quarter. Carter has been a consistent three-point shooter, but of late his triples have often come at times that swing momentum and this pair helped the Bucks keep the Magic at arm's length and set up a victory.
One dribble pull up for Bulldog. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hd0FJxf3hs
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 8, 2023
Video of the game is Khris Middleton's early basket after starting
It's not so much that Middleton began the game with seven points and three assists in the first quarter, but it's that he started for the first time since December. He assisted on three of the Bucks' first four baskets before looking for his shot to help the Bucks take a 36-26 first quarter lead.
Starting represented a next step in the three-time all-star's return to a more regular minutes workload for the Bucks.
🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/bBggpsdtCz
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) March 8, 2023
Bucks injury report
Antetokounmpo (non-COVID illness), out
Holiday (neck soreness), out
Wesley Matthews (right calf strain), out
Dragić (left knee soreness), out"I think him getting with our medical group, kind of testing, seeing where everything is and then working on strength and specific things, I think we're hopeful that very soon he'll be in a good place and be available and ready to help," Budenholzer said.
Who do the Bucks play next?
Milwaukee heads home to play Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Fiserv Forum.
The new-look Nets pushed the Bucks to the limit Feb. 28 in New York. The Nets have seen Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson thrive in new roles since being acquired in the Kevin Durant trade and center Nic Claxton is having a strong defensive season.
More:Bucks begin to sacrifice with title in mind after Jae Crowder, Goran Dragić acquisitions
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Jevon Carter lead Bucks' win over Magic
