Orlando Magic Advances to Playoffs in Win vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Orlando Magic grabbed a win in the regular-season finale, clinching the team a spot in the postseason.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 14, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) passes the ball around / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is celebrating after a big 113-88 win on Sunday afternoon at the Kia Center to clinch the franchise's first playoff berth since 2020.

While the Magic started off slow in the first quarter, things began to pick up in the final few minutes of the first half. Orlando took a five-point lead going into the locker rooms.

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) shoots the ball over / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

From there, the Magic hit the foot on the gas in the second half, racing out to a lead as large as 25 points.

The Magic had a chance to clinch a playoff spot in each of the three games on its previous road trip, but it took the final game and the home crowd behind them to finish the job.

Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 26 points, while Franz Wagner was right behind him with 25. Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis were the high scorers for the Bucks with 17, and Damian Lillard came right behind them with 16.

The win, mixed in with the results throughout the rest of the NBA, clinched the Magic the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The team will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers after their loss this afternoon at home to the Charlotte Hornets. Game 1 of the opening round series will take place either Saturday or Sunday.

Published Apr 14, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.