The short-handed Magic were in play on Tuesday night.

But ultimately, the firepower of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard proved too great to overcome. The All-Star Bucks duo rallied from an early deficit for Milwaukee and held off the Magic late to earn a 114-109 victory over Orlando in Game 1 of the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Milwaukee overcame an 18-point lead by Jalen Suggs in the fourth quarter that helped push Orlando to a 107-106 lead with 40.1 seconds left. But Lillard scored nine points in the final 52 seconds to help thwart Orlando’s surprise offensive.

With the win, the Bucks move into the semifinal round in Las Vegas, where they will play the winner between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. A Magic team that plays without its two best players is eliminated from NBA Cup play.

Magic fights without stars

The Magic earned their place in the knockout round of the NBA Cup despite playing 21 of their 26 previous games without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who has been sidelined since Oct. 30 with an oblique tear. When they reached the knockout rounds on Tuesday, they played without breakout forward Franz Wagner, who suffered an oblique tear of his own in Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

For the Magic, that meant a starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Goga Bitadze, Wendell Carter Jr. and Tristan da Silva. With strong support from Moritz Wagner and Anthony Black on the bench, the Magic built a 33-25 lead and kept Orlando competitive throughout.

But the best two players on the court stepped up for the Bucks and ultimately led Milwaukee to victory. Antetokounmpo and Lillard combined for 29 consecutive Bucks points in a period that spanned from midway through the second quarter to the final two minutes of the third. Milwaukee’s defense fought back in the third quarter, which the Bucks won 20-13, and took an 80-72 lead in the fourth quarter.

Dame hits Suggs back and forth in the 4th quarter

But the magic wasn’t over yet. They tied the game several times in the fourth quarter before taking a 102-101 lead on a shot from Suggs in the final three minutes. Wendell Carter Jr.’s free throws then gave Orlando a 106-103 lead with 1:13 left.

But Lillard countered with a 3-pointer, tying the game at 106.

He then answered a free throw from the Blacks with a layup and took back the lead at 108:107.

Lillard added four free throws in the final nine seconds to put the game on ice for the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks. Lillard scored 28 points and nine assists while hitting all ten of his free throws. He scored 13 points in the back-and-forth fourth quarter, including 11 of Milwaukee’s last 13 points.

Bobby Portis Jr. was big off the bench with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The Bucks overcame a sloppy night of ballhandling by turning the ball over 16 times.

Suggs led the Magic with 32 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Black scored 17 points and Wagner added 13 points and three rebounds off the bench.