Meet the Opponent: Bucks, New-Look Magic Vie for Trip to Vegas in NBA Cup

The Orlando Magic advanced to the knockout round of the NBA Cup for the first time this season. Standing between the Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero-less Magic and a trip to Las Vegas is the Milwaukee Bucks, with each team vying for a signature win that would take them to the semifinals.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the second half at Amway Center. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

A year removed from the Magic's first trip back to the NBA playoffs for much of its core, Orlando ventures into uncharted waters again on Tuesday night.

They've advanced to the NBA Cup knockout round for the first time, and a quarterfinal date with the Milwaukee Bucks stands between them and a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinal round this weekend.

Orlando, now adjusting to life without both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner – All-Star caliber players who are each sidelined with torn right obliques – can dispel doubters with another spirited performance for a national audience Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. In two previous nationally televised games this year, Nov. 1 at Cleveland and a week ago at New York, the Magic have been overwhelmed and non-competitive. The circumstances facing this matchup with the Bucks are the most challenging yet this season, and no previous contest this season has featured bigger stakes.

So, when the 17-9 Magic square off with the 12-11 Bucks, it's not just Vegas, an extra payday or the NBA Cup trophy on the line. There's pride, too, and he influence of proving to a larger scale audience that the version of the team they've seen twice this year isn't who they truly are.

MORE: Magic's NBA Cup knockout round schedule

About the Bucks

Leading Scorers

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 61.1 FG%
• Damian Lillard: 25.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 45.0 FG%, 37.1 3PT%
• Bobby Portis: 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 46.3 FG%, 37.0 3PT%
• Brook Lopez: 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 46.6 FG%, 35.6 3PT%
• Khris Middleton: 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 27.8 FG%, 33.3 3PT%

Notable Numbers

• 15th net rating (10th offense, 14th defense)
• 21st REB% (48.9)
• 10th TOV% (14.1)
• 4th eFG% (56.8), 8th opp. eFG% (53.1)
• 16th pace (99.05 possessions/game)
• 6th FTA rate (.272), 7th opp. FTA rate (.226)
• 29th 2nd chance pts/game (10.8)
• 26th pts in paint/game (42.4)

The challenging task Milwaukee presents, as always, starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA's leading scorer so far this season has elevated his offensive game to another level – if you can believe that. Already a near unstoppable force when going downhill, Antetokounmpo is having by far his most efficient shooting season of his career, particularly in the midrange.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's shot chart for the 2024-25 NBA regular season so far. / NBA.com

Over the last 13 games – a stretch that's seen the Bucks turn a 2-8 start into a 12-11 current mark – Anteokounmpo is averaging 33.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He also owns the NBA's highest single-game scoring output this season, with a 59-point game Nov. 13 vs. Detroit.

Defending Antetokounmpo is obviously no small feat to accomplish, but its a matchup Jonathan Isaac has done particularly well with in previous matchups. However, Isaac is listed on the Magic's injury report as questionable with a hamstring strain – in danger of missing the contest. If he's unable to go, that makes Orlando's task that much taller on Tuesday.

He's not the only All-NBA talent the Bucks have to offer, either. Damian Lillard is in his second season with the Bucks, and the partnership between he and Antetokounmpo is starting to come around as they find their on-court groove. He'll challenge the defensive-minded backcourt of Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who have been among the NBA's best 1-2 punches at the point of attack.

Khris Middleton is re-integrating himself into the mix for the Bucks, coming back from bilateral ankle surgery that caused him to miss the first 21 games of Milwaukee's season. He's a proven lethal scorer when healthy, but the Magic could face a scenario where he's under a minute restriction to ensure no further flare-ups or setbacks.

As Orlando awaits the return of their two stars, the Magic hold steady as one of the East's most resilient teams so far, and a win Sunday over Phoenix helped that cause. Now, they'll try to replicate that resilience in a single-game elimination setting Tuesday.

"This game helped," forward Caleb Houstan said of Orlando's confidence after Sunday's game. "It's going to be tough (against Milwaukee). But nothing has ever really been easy. Just go out there and have fun and play to the standard."

But the chance to go on the road and knock off a team nearing, or at, full strength in front of a national audience – all while shorthanded – is the style of signature win Orlando's schedule still lacks quantity of. None would be bigger to this point than a defeat of the Bucks.

"Going into the Cup game," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said, "we just have to continue to keep our same level of focus, defend and do it by committee again."

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• MAGIC-BUCKS TV INFO: Information on how to watch and other relevant information about the NBA Cup quarterfinal contest Tuesday between Orlando and Milwaukee. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC-BUCKS INJURY REPORT: Who's in, who's out for Orlando and Milwaukee Tuesday night in the NBA Cup? CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S HOLIDAY SURPRISE FOR YOUTH: The Magic continued their efforts of giving back during the holiday season with a basketball clinic and Christmas surprise on Monday. CLICK HERE
• BANCHERO STILL HAS NO DEFINITE TIMETABLE: "I think that's again why we don't put timelines on it because each guy is unique and each guy is different in the way in which they recover," Jamahl Mosley said. CLICK HERE
• NEXT MAN UP MENTALITY FACES TOUGHEST TEST YET: Orlando is navigating a new normal without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the fold because of torn obliques. Now, the "real version" of their next-man-up mantra faces its toughest test. CLICK HERE
• BURNING QUESTIONS WITHOUT WAGNER: Forced to trudge forward without Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner, who are both sidelined with torn oblique injuries, the Magic have plenty of questions that need answered – and fast. CLICK HERE
• FRANZ OUT INDEFINITELY WITH TORN RIGHT OBLIQUE: Bad luck strikes twice for the Magic, as they lose a star for an indefinite period to a torn right oblique for the second time this season. CLICK HERE
• PAOLO'S STARDOM GROWS GIVING BACK IN NYC: Banchero spent his Monday afternoon surprising kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem with a shopping spree at the NBA Store in New York. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S RELIANCE ON POISE AND MATURITY: Orlando has superpowers, ones they've garnered through years of trudging through results to end up where they are now: maturity and poise. CLICK HERE
• PAOLO BANCHERO BACK ON THE COURT: The All-Star forward is making progress toward a return for the first time since tearing his oblique Oct. 30. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times, and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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