By Eric Nehm and Rebecca Tauber

The Orlando Magic fell short, but it’s the Milwaukee Bucks who will advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals after a 114-109 win over the Magic on Tuesday night.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged the lead and the game came down to the final minute. Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard hit a 3-pointer to make it 106:106. A layup gave the Bucks the lead and an Orlando challenge gave Milwaukee possession, where they hit a series of free throws.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 37 points as well as four blocks and seven rebounds, while Lillard had 28 and Bobby Portis had 22.

The Magic harassed the Bucks throughout the game, with Jalen Suggs scoring a career-high 32 points. It is worth remembering that Orlando is without two of its best players, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, due to injuries.

But ultimately, the Bucks will travel to Las Vegas to face the winner of the quarterfinal between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET.

How Milwaukee won the NBA Cup

Despite their difficult start to the season, the Bucks are actually a good basketball team. As of November 1st, a date when their horribly played first five games of the season are scrapped, the Bucks are 8th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating, according to Cleaning the Glass.

With Antetokounmpo and Lillard, they have the most dangerous duo in the league. On a choppy night, Antetokounmpo still posted 37 points and 7 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over the Magic and averaged 32.7 points per game and 11.4 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Lillard hit two key shots to lead the Bucks past the Magic and averaged 25.8 points and 7.6 assists per game for the Bucks this season. Additionally, they signed Khris Middleton three games ago and he has made an immediate impact in just 20 minutes per game coming off the bench. This definitely gives them a chance to return to Milwaukee as NBA Cup champions.

But they’re not perfect. The Bucks have already lost by double digits to both teams they could potentially face in the semifinals in Las Vegas, and both the Hawks and Knicks have the guard play that can best stress the Bucks’ defense. Trae Young and Jalen Brunson are both capable of having big nights and sending the Bucks home from Las Vegas early. — Eric Nehm, Bucks senior writer

Required reading

(Photo: Benny Sieu / Imagn Images)