The Orlando Magic found themselves once again playing catch-up after falling behind by 27 points to Milwaukee before cutting the lead to five points in the closing minute.
Still, they couldn’t overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the host Bucks, who came away with a 117-108 win Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo had his ninth double-double of the season after scoring 32 points and a season-high 20 rebounds. The two-time Most Valuable Player also had five assists, three blocks and two steals.
Bobby Portis added 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks (9-8).
R.J. Hampton had a team-high 19 points, including 5-of-9 shooting from 3, for the Magic (4-13), while Jalen Suggs added 14 points and Chuma Okeke had 13.
Milwaukee went on an 18-2 run to build a 15-point first-quarter lead as Orlando went ice cold from the floor before Mo Bamba hit a 3. The Magic shot 36% (9 of 25), but it was five early turnovers that helped the Bucks on their scoring run. Milwaukee shot 11 for 20 (55%) in the opening 12 minutes.
Wendell Carter Jr. spent much of the first half in foul trouble, picking up his third foul with 7:41 left in the second quarter. He played only 14 minutes and contributed eight points and two rebounds.
The Bucks opened the second half by going on a 13-0 run to extend their lead to 25, with Antetokounmpo scoring five points in the first three minutes. The Magic went nearly four minutes without scoring as Milwaukee continued its long-distance onslaught, connecting on four more shots from 3.
But Orlando went on a late run of its own, slicing Milwaukee’s 24-point, fourth-quarter advantage to five with 24 seconds left before the Bucks put the game away.
Antetokounmpo came into the game third in the NBA in scoring (27.5) and fourth in rebounds (11.7).
The Magic were without their top scorer, Cole Anthony, who sat with a sprained right ankle in the second game of a road back-to-back. The second-year guard is averaging 19.6 points and 5.9 assists per game and was coming off 16 points and nine assists in Friday’s 115-113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Coach Jamahl Mosley believes Anthony rolled his ankle on the last play against the Nets, possibly Bamba.
Orlando will be back at the Fiserv Forum on Monday night, wrapping up its five-game road trip. The tipoff against the Bucks is 8 p.m.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com . Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel .
