Hits and Flops: Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic
Eric Bledsoe played the perfect sidekick to superstar Giannis Antetokoumpo as the Bucks held off Magic 118-108 in Orlando for their fourth consecutive win. Milwaukee shot 55% from the field as a unit in this road game, and a decent 40% from downtown en route to handing the Orlando Magic their third straight loss.
The Milwaukee Bucks sit atop the Eastern Conference leaderboard with 33-12 (0.733) win-loss record, having won eight of their last ten matchups. The East leaders outscored their opponents 31-2 in terms of fastbreak points in the game. The three-days rest in Orlando prior to the game was visible as the visitors looked sharp on both ends of the floor.
On the other hand, the Magic have now dropped seven of their last nine as their record slips to 19-27 (0.413) on the season, down at the 11th spot out East. They are currently 15 games behind the team they lost to, in terms game-differential.
The Magic find themselves on the edge of a downward spiral as they ready themselves to face the surging Hawks and Nets in the upcoming encounters.
Now that we know the result, let's take a look at some of the best and worst performances from the night.
Hit: Eric Bledsoe
Giannis' rise to glory has been facilitated by an unsung hero in Eric Bledsoe down in Milwaukee, and the Greek Freak approves of it,
"Eric can go 12 of 14, score 30 points and still get everyone involved," Antetokounmpo said. "He's a pass-first point guard. We play faster and more together with him. He makes the game a lot easier for me, Malcolm, Khris (Middleton) and Brook (Lopez)."
On this very night, the quintessential sidekick dropped a season-high total of 30 points, shooting 12-of-14 from the floor, along with seven boards to himself. According to Coach Budenholzer, 'he did a little bit of everything'.
Well, Mike's not wrong. Eric shot threes, went to the basket, amped up the intensity on the defensive end and got the team involved, not forgetting that he scored 12 of his 30 in the final period when it mattered the most.
This was the fifth straight game with 15 points or more for 'the Bledshow'.