Bucks keep good vibes going by beating Magic without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton

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.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 117, Magic 99

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.

"Wins help," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "In life. In anything.

"And losing is no fun. And it gets heavy. Last's night's game (a win over the Boston Celtics) was probably the reason we won tonight. And that's a good thing."

Bobby Portis has big game on offense and defense

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 hot 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.

"He's been fantastic," Rivers said. "Every night he gives us something.

"Tonight it was obviously his scoring. And that's what people look at. But I thought he was more important defensively with his hands and his rebounding. I thought that was more important than his scoring."

Portis notched a career high with five steals.

"I'm just trying to win," Portis said. "Big Fella (Antetokounmpo) go down, Khris not playing back-to-backs. I try to step up."

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 aggressive 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.

"It's knowing that without those two guys (Middleton and Antetokounmpo) on the court, teams are going to be more aggressive defending me," Lillard said. "So it's just important to make the right play.

"You got to trust people more to loosen the defense up. If I come up and I'm just trying so hard to fight it, it's going to be a long game. I think tonight, I just came out and I got off the ball. I passed it ahead, I hit the pocket, I made the skip passes. And the moments they softened up, I looked for opportunity. But I wasn't chasing it.

"Guys was able to hit some shots. When everybody else is playing well and believing and feeling good about themselves, it makes the game easier for me."

The Bucks remained in the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and feel much better about themselves than just a few days ago.

"Had a bad week last week," Portis said. "All you heard was bad things. When we go do good things, you never hear nothing good.

"With us, we just try to keep chopping wood, carrying water. Staying confident. Building it. Obviously a big-time talent and leader in Giannis goes down, obviously it changes the team. But the same things stays the same. Basketball stays the same. That doesn't change. Playing the right way. Playing for each other. Getting loose balls, 50-50s. That matters."

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

Bucks playoff scenarios: Magic number, schedule, 2024 Eastern Conference standings, bracket, record and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks beat Magic without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton