Muhammad helps Bucks close out Bradley Center with win
Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench to score 22 points, leading Milwaukee to a 102-86 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday in the final regular-season contest at the Bradley Center, where the Bucks have played since 1988.
With the win, Milwaukee moved in front of the Miami Heat into sixth place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining.
Milwaukee owns the tiebreaker with the eighth-placed Washington Wizards after winning the season series. The Bucks do not own the tiebreaker over the Heat.
Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Bismack Biyombo finished with 14 points for the Magic, who have lost three in a row.
The Magic stayed tight with the Bucks into the fourth quarter. Biyombo scored four straight points to cut the Milwaukee lead to 78-72 with 8:46 to play.
The Bucks scored the next eight points, a run capped by a three-point play by Muhammad. Khris Middleton followed with a 3-pointer as Milwaukee began to pull away down the stretch.
Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points, Middleton finished with 18 points, and Jabari Parker had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks, who have won three of four.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his second straight game dealing with an ankle issue. Without the All-Star forward, Milwaukee found itself in a tie game late in the third quarter with the Magic.
Brandon Jennings hit a 3-pointer and Muhammad hit a layup at the buzzer to help the Bucks close out the third quarter with a 7-0 run and give Milwaukee a 74-67 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee closes out the regular season at the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Miami hosts Toronto on Wednesday, and the Wizards are at Orlando on Wednesday.
Milwaukee led 45-42 after a back-and-forth first half. The Bucks led 31-21 after the first quarter. Orlando opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run to grab the lead. Middleton had 11 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
The Bucks will move into a new, $500 million arena located just north of the Bradley Center next season.
--Field Level Media
