Undeterred by injuries, Orlando Magic battle Milwaukee Bucks in NBA Cup quarter-finals

MILWAUKEE – The quarter-finals of the NBA (National Basketball Association) Cup get under way on Dec 10 (Dec 11, Singapore time), with the Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Orlando Magic to kick things off.

The Magic enter the clash following a 115-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Dec 8 to remain the only team undefeated at home this season (10-0).

Jalen Suggs led the way with 26 points, including 14 in the final quarter. Goga Bitadze added 21 points and 16 rebounds.

“Each person that played stepped up, gave to the group,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.

“That’s what we said this team is – we’re gonna defend, pull for one another and try to play the right way for one another.”

The Bucks return home from a two-game trip to Boston and Brooklyn. They snapped a two-game skid with a 118-113 win over the Nets on Dec 8.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points along with 11 boards. Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr added 23 and 20 points off the bench respectively and Damian Lillard had 15 with 11 assists.

“They had that stretch where they were about to get away from us, and Giannis took the game over,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said.

“That’s what makes him so great, he sensed that. Stayed aggressive, made the right plays.”

Antetokounmpo leads the NBA with 32.5 points per game and is first on the Bucks roster in rebounding at 11.6. Lillard leads Milwaukee in assists at 7.5 per game.

Franz Wagner, who is out with a torn oblique, leads Orlando with 24.4 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Bitadze is the Magic’s top rebounder (7.3) and shot blocker (1.6).

On the injury front, Wagner went down on Dec 6 and will be re-evaluated in January, joining young star Paolo Banchero (also torn oblique) on the sidelines.

After the Dec 8 game, Mosley gave an update on Banchero: “He’s responded to the things that we’re having him do, but we’ll take it one day at a time and see how he responds each day.”

He did not give an updated timeline for Banchero’s return.

Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris missed the Phoenix game for Orlando with hamstring injuries. Harris will also miss the matchup against the Bucks, while Isaac is questionable.

Despite Orlando’s injury woes and a 3-6 start, they have surged to 17-9 thanks in large part to their defence. The Magic entered this week third in the NBA with a 105.7 defensive rating.

Milwaukee are more balanced, ranking 10th in offensive rating (113.9) and 14th on defence (113.0), although they excel from deep, ranking third in three-point percentage (39.4 per cent).

The Bucks are fully healthy after Khris Middleton made his season debut on Dec 6 against the Celtics. The three-time All-Star scored 11 points in 20 minutes against the Nets.

Milwaukee lead the all-time series 73-55.

They had a 14-game win streak over Orlando going into last season, when the teams split four games. The Magic have not won a season series over the Bucks since a four-game sweep in the 2011-12 season.

The winners will head to Las Vegas on Dec 14 to compete in the NBA Cup semi-finals against the victors of the New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks clash. REUTERS