Bucks lead Magic 80-72 after third quarter

The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to advance to the semifinals of the NBA’s regular-season tournament, now known as the Emirates Cup, for the second straight year as they host the Orlando Magic at the Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks (12-11) earned this previously unscheduled home game by winning East Group B with a 4-0 record. Milwaukee landed as the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference and, if they advance, will be the “home team” at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against New York or Atlanta.

Khris Middleton had four assists in the final five minutes of the third quarter, helping the Bucks take an 80-72 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo scored 12 points and has 32 for the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 points and Bobby Portis Jr. had 16 off the bench, while Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton combined for 10 assists as the Bucks rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 60-59 halftime lead. Mo Wagner and Anthony Black combined for 23 goals off the bench for Orlando, which had a shooting percentage of 70% just minutes into the quarter.

The Magic forced seven Bucks turnovers in the first quarter and scored eight points on the extra possessions to take a 33-25 lead after one quarter. The Magic also shot an impressive 65% (13-for-20) from the field and made all six free throws. The Bucks shot 55% but were 2 of 6 from behind the three-point line.

If the Bucks beat the Magic: Milwaukee will play a Cup semifinal game against the Knicks or Hawks on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. in Las Vegas. The cup final will take place on December 17th (Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m. The Knicks and Hawks play Wednesday night.

If the Bucks lose to the Magic: Milwaukee’s next game will also be determined by the outcome of Wednesday’s Knicks-Hawks game. If the Hawks lose to the Knicks, the Bucks will play in Atlanta on Sunday at 4 p.m. If the Knicks lose to the Hawks, Milwaukee will host New York on Monday at 7 p.m.

Orlando finished second in East Group A.

The Magic have won eight of their last 10 and are 17-9 overall under head coach Jamahl Mosley, a Milwaukee native, and are the third-ranked team in the Eastern Conference.

Is Giannis playing?

Probably. The MVP candidate and league leading scorer is listed as likely to have pain (tendinopathy) in his right patella. He has not missed a game due to this injury as he has been dealing with it since training camp.

What channel are the Bucks on?

Milwaukee will receive national coverage for the first time in the Cup game, as the game will be broadcast on TNT with Brian Anderson, Stan Van Gundy and Jared Greenberg, and locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Dave Koehn, Steve Novak and Melanie Ricks on air.

Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are out injured

Orlando will be without all-star Paolo Banchero, who suffered a torn right oblique after five games. Franz Wagner developed into a potential All-Star in Banchero’s absence by averaging over 26 points per game, but then Wagner suffered a torn right oblique.

Chris Livingston is out (left ankle sprain)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (right patella tendinopathy)
Khris Middleton, probable (surgery on both ankles)
MarJon Beauchamp, probable (left hamstring tendinopathy)

Bucks starter

guards: Damian Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr.
Forward: Taurian Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo
center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs. Magic odds, over/under

Milwaukee is a 7.5-point favorite over Orlando and the over/under is 214.5 points per BetMGM.

What is the Emirates Cup?

Created by the league last year under the name “In-Season Tournament,” it was intended to stimulate interest in regular-season games and give the league’s stars a reason to play more games. The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural tournament by defeating Indiana under current Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham.

How much is the cash prize for the Emirates Cup?

All players on the winning Cup team will receive $514,970, while players on two-way contracts will receive half that. The second-place team earns $205,988 per player, while semifinalists earn $102,994 and quarterfinalists earn $51,497.

Head coaches receive the same amount as the players and assistant coaches receive 75% of the head coach’s total.

The Bucks veterans said earning such awards would mean a lot to the younger players and assistant coaches.

“I think it’s cool,” Bucks guard AJ Green said. “I think it shows what kind of people we have, that all the older guys who have been playing for a while want to do everything they can to take care of the rookies and sophomores financially. It just shows.” The character in them. But it’s a different game. We have to play our way and build on what we’ve done and then just win when it matters.”

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