Photo via Twitter / @NBA
Going into game two of their first-round matchup with Orlando, there were legitimate levels of concern for Milwaukee Bucks fans. Notions of an easy matchup with a team that they had swept in the regular season were quickly erased on Tuesday, as the Magic handedly ran away with the first game of the series. The pressure was put on the Bucks to even the series, and they answered the bell on Thursday afternoon with a 111-96 win.
From the opening minutes, it was clear that the Bucks energy had changed, and that Giannis Antetokounmpo was leading the charge. Giannis again etched his name into the team’s history on Thursday, becoming just the second player in Bucks history to score over 20 points and grab 20 rebounds in a playoff game. The only other player to accomplish that for Milwaukee was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did it 18 times in his career.
Aside from Giannis being Giannis, the Bucks bench did their part in the victory, led by Pat Connaghton’s 15 points and 11 boards, respectively. Donte DiVincenzo and Kyle Korver, sporting a relatively new black eye, also did their part while the team held a commanding lead for much of the middle of the game. Orlando would make things tighter going into the fourth quarter, but in similar fashion to the Bucks’ struggles on Tuesday, the Magic were cold for most of the afternoon, shooting just under 35% from the field.
While things looked better overall, there were still some struggles for the Bucks on Thursday. Khris Middleton continued to struggle shooting, hitting just one shot despite playing 31 minutes. The defense also allowed Nikola Vucevic to once again rattle off over 30 points, similar to his playoff career-high 35 on Tuesday. Milwaukee is a legitimate title contender this year, but the recent flaws in their game are going to need improvement if they move on to tougher competition in the rounds ahead.
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The Bucks will look to take the first-round series lead on Saturday at 12 p.m., with coverage on TNT and Fox Sports Wisconsin.
