Without Damian Lillard, Bucks struggle on both ends of the floor and lose to Magic, 112-97

ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at the Amway Center, winning 112-97. The game was never really in doubt after the first half, as the Magic scored 36 points in the decisive second quarter.

Orlando’s rising star Paolo Banchero punctuated the win with 1 minute, 44 seconds left in the game after he hustled a steal and scored between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to make it 110-95. He and Jalen Suggs then celebrated with a hug in the backcourt as the Bucks called timeout.

“Just figuring out a way to win games and play together, simple as that,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said of where the team can improve. “Teams are working us on the defensive end and we gotta figure out a way to do the same thing when we have the ball.

"We have so many talented guys that have shown what we can do in the past, but right now just trying to figure each other out, learn a new system, learn new schemes and philosophies. But now we have to start putting that knowledge into action.”

Banchero led the Magic with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Suggs added 20. Franz Wagner had 24.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Cameron Payne, starting in place of an injured Damian Lillard, had 14 points and two assists. Bobby Portis added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Milwaukee has now lost two straight and is 5-4 on the year. Orlando improved to 5-4.

“I think just for the most part our camaraderie and chemistry is just not there at all,” Bucks forward Bobby Portis said. “I think it’s kind of obvious on the court. I think that will take a minute. We don’t want it to take too long – but we’ll figure it out here soon, hopefully. We’re just trying to figure out one another.

"New things that coach wants that we’re trying to implement and focus on and things like that, which kind of goes away from how we used to play. We’re trying to figure it out and trying to get to it, trusting in what he wants and then just doing the things that asked of us.”

BOX SCORE: Magic 112, Bucks 97

First half woes continue for Bucks

For the second time in nine games the Bucks saw one of the league’s worst offensive teams decimate them. After allowing 66 first half points to the then-worst offensive team in the league in Toronto on Nov. 1, the Magic scored 65 points in the first half Saturday night.

Orlando came in No. 22 in the league in scoring at 109.9 points per game.

“I think the individual pride is there,” Antetokounmpo said. “The team defense is not there. We’re not helping each other as much as we should. The gaps are so – I feel like the gaps are like wide open. I feel like guys feel comfortable to be able to come down, attack, go downhill, get an angle, make a play for themselves or for their teammate. Like, I wish we were being guarded that way.

"Whenever Khris get the ball, he’s being denied. They’re being up in pick-and-rolls. Sometimes they’re blitzing him in the post, double-teaming, sending another guy, making us pass the ball, showing a lot of crowds, showing help. The defense is always there. That’s the defense that we play against every single night because we know that teams are going to bring their best against us.

"Us, we gotta as a team right now, we gotta stay together, we gotta play better. Offensively, one of our best players didn’t play tonight but defensively man, I feel like we gotta take it up a notch. We have to take it up a notch. This is not who we are. This is not the Milwaukee Bucks. We gotta guard people. Sixty-five points is too much.

"And it starts with me. It stars with the leader of the team. I gotta be better. But again, it’s not one person can do it alone. Defensively, we gotta show more. Make our paint look more crowded. Make the lanes look more crowded. Don’t allow guys to get comfortable and guys to be able to get downhill.”

The Magic took advantage of some of the Bucks’ weaknesses to date, scoring 13 points off eight offensive rebounds and another 13 off nine Bucks turnovers. Milwaukee entered the game as one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and 11th in giveaways.

“I think it’s just protecting the paint and rebounding – just the things we’ve been stressing,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said of what went wrong in the first half. “They’re very good, quick, fast, have a lot of young talent on their team and we just have to do a better job of defensively, collectively, helping each other and plugging those gaps. And limit them to one shot.

"It’s hard every night if you’re giving up 15 offensive rebounds and on the other side we’re turning the ball over. So we just have to be a little bit stronger on both ends of the basket.”

And though Orlando came into the game as a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of pace (100.31 possessions per game), they wanted to get out and run on the Bucks to force the issue and help create fouls. Milwaukee was whistled 13 times (along with a technical foul on Cameron Payne), which allowed the Magic to go 18-for-21 from the free throw line in the opening half.

“I don’t know if we necessarily got off to too much of a slow start tonight but throughout the game they worked us on both sides," Middleton said. "Defensively, they had us moving around, had us lost on too many possessions I feel like. And transition defense was a big thing. They got to the free throw line way too many times in the first half. So, I mean, we just have to better flat out. Just gotta be better.”

The Bucks meanwhile had a hard time establishing an offensive rhythm against the Magic’s fifth-best scoring defense (107.3 points allowed per game). Though Milwaukee forced six Orlando turnovers, they scored just a single point off the extra possessions. Middleton was just 0-for-2 in eight minutes and the bench unit contributed only nine points on 2 of 8 shooting.

They were without all-star point guard Damian Lillard for the second straight game, which hampered the Bucks' ability to score and take care of the ball.

“It’s hard because you don’t have your guy you can just give the ball and just like, go to your spot and have him make a play for himself or for the team,” Antetokounmpo said of missing Lillard. “And a guy that can score. He can score the ball for us. Like, Indiana being up 10 in six minutes to go and we have Dame – we don’t lose that game.

"Down the stretch he’s going to make a big play for us, he’s going to go to the free throw line, he’s going to make a good pass for open three or he’s going to hit me in the pocket. He’s going to make something happen. Obviously I hope he gets healthy and gets back as fast as possible. But (a) calf can be kind of tricky.

"But at the end of the day, you need somebody that’s a ball handler out there. Cam, both games, I feel like Cam has been incredible at making plays for himself and for the team and defensively he’s guarded people and making it tough for people. But we only have one point guard out there.

"And Khris usually handles the ball a lot more but he’s playing only 20 minutes, so there’s a lot of periods of time out there where we’re really – I might be the ball handler but I always feel comfortable when I have somebody next to me – even when I’m the ball handler.”

Jae Crowder injured vs. Magic

With 3 minutes, 54 seconds left in the third quarter Jae Crowder was subbed out for AJ Green, and the veteran wing walked right to the Bucks locker room. He was immediately ruled out due to left groin soreness. Crowder played 17 minutes against the Magic, going 0-for-1 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the free throw line for one point. He also had two rebounds.

Griffin said Crowder will be evaluated further when the team returns to Milwaukee.

Bucks go small, young at end of game

Down big in the second half, Adrian Griffin rotated in Thanasis Antetokounmpo and rookies Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis.

Milwaukee shaved a 21-point late third quarter deficit down to 11 with 8:17 to go in the game thanks to a Jackson Jr. dunk, but Banchero hit a contested jumper over Livingston and Jonathan Isaac followed with a three-pointer to stretch the lead back to 16 and give the Magic breathing room.

Brook Lopez played 21 minutes, and none after the 7:05 mark of the third quarter with the Bucks down 77-60. Fellow starter Malik Beasley (20 minutes) also didn’t play in the final minutes of the third quarter, or the fourth. Cameron Payne finished out the final couple minutes after sitting most of the frame.

“It was just trying to find some energy in the game,” Griffin said.  “And just looked at, see what we got with the young guys for a minute.

"They were playing so well and so hard and just rolled with them, and then by the time I was thinking about getting Brook back in, the game was kind of out of reach so I didn’t want to put him back in in that position.”

5 numbers

2 Technical fouls on the Bucks (Cameron Payne, Bobby Portis). It was Portis’ second of the season and Payne was the sixth different player to be assessed a technical this season. Players have been T’d up eight times already.

8:29 Time left in the second quarter when Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin used a challenge on a foul committed by Bobby Portis. The foul was upheld, leaving the Bucks without a challenge for the rest of the game.

5-12 Free throws by Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. the Magic. He was 16-for-18 from the line against Indiana on Thursday night.

35 Free throws by the Magic. Milwaukee came in allowing opponents 19.8 free throws per game, third-most in the league. Orlando made 30 of them.2/19/2019 The last time the Magic beat the Bucks, with Saturday’s victory snapping a 14-game losing streak to Milwaukee.

Damian Lillard ruled out for Bucks game vs. Magic

The Bucks’ all-NBA point guard was ruled out an hour before tipping off against the Pacers, after being listed as questionable due to soreness in his right calf. He carried that same designation into Saturday's game against Orlando.

Following his warmup, the Bucks ruled him out for the game against the Magic.

Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin was speaking as Lillard was going through is pregame routine, but he didn't think Lillard having the injury designation for a second straight game created any bigger concern over it.

"No," Griffin said. "I just think if we have to err on the side of caution; being cautious with him."

As for the mechanics of designating Lillard with "soreness" in his calf, that designation will likely come to an end after Saturday's game.

Unlike previous years where teams could list "soreness" as a reason for game absences for as long as they saw fit, the league changed that rule this season.

Now, teams can no longer use "soreness" – or variations thereof – as a designation for more than two consecutive games. While the league can grant permission to use "soreness" et al. as a reason for absence, it is meant to be a placeholder for a more formal diagnosis.

So, following Saturday's game in Orlando the Bucks will have to be more specific about the injuries their star is dealing with.

They will be required to identify the injury with specificity by:

• Status (i.e. out, questionable, available)

• Reason (injury/illness)

• Laterality (i.e. left, right, or N/A)

• Body part (i.e. elbow, hamstring)

MarJon Beauchamp hosting turkey drive on Sunday

Second-year Bucks player MarJon Beauchamp is hosting a turkey drive for Milwaukee residents on Sunday from 3-5 p.m. Through his eponymous foundation, the 23-year-old is collaborating with World Visions and Black Men United to distribute 200 turkeys, 200 food boxes and toys, socks, diapers and bicycles at The 42 Factory Office Suites, 1134 N 9th St. in Milwaukee.

E-mail info@blackmenunitedusa.org for registration information.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Without Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks lose to Orlando Magic, 112-97