Bucks vs Magic- Game Preview
The 44-17 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 26-36 upstart Orlando Magic Wednesday night at home. The Bucks played flat in the first half against the Nets. They managed to rally and win, however. It simply is a testament to their excellent depth, coaching, and strength of this team. They are now rocking a 15 game winning streak, highest in the NBA so far this season.
These teams will match up again in less than a week. While it seemed like Orlando may have been trying to “tank”, it doesn’t seem that way anymore. Over their last five they are 3-2 and over their last ten they are 6-4. They have played respectable basketball lately. This is not an “automatic” win.
Orlando has last year’s number one overall pick Paolo Banchero. Their GM is former Bucks GM John Hammond. (That scene in “Rise” is really cool when he meets with Giannis pre-draft.)
The Bucks and their depth will be tested. Keep an eye here on wisportsheroics.com for updated “load management” and injury reports as they come in.
Vegas has the Bucks as 7 point favorites and given a 76% chance to win. Closer to tip I would expect that -7.0 number to grow.
Bucks keys to win
Win streak at pic.twitter.com/UjqdqjmCaQ
— Bucks Bandwagon 🚍🦌 (@BandwagonBucks) March 1, 2023
Limit their turnovers
What is up with some of these sloppy turnovers lately, especially in the first half? The Bucks have been a little careless at times with the ball. Against the Celtics Milwaukee had 18 turnovers. Giannis alone had 8. Last night against New Jersey the Bucks had 17 turnovers. Again, Giannis had 5. Things were better in the win against the Clippers (12) .The Bucks, and Giannis especially, need to make sure they protect the ball.
The Bucks, on the season, were averaging less than 15 a game. They need to keep that number down. This winning streak has really helped to prove that.
Controlling the glass will be key
Milwaukee has led most of the season in team rebounding. They are #1 right now with 49.4 rebounds per game. That is really good.
Orlando as a point of comparison is 26th in team rebounding 41.1 team rebounds. Eight possible possession changes will add up in any game. If Orlando is keeping up on the glass, it won’t be a blow out. If the Bucks have a +/- 5 rebounding advantage at half, good night!
Jrue, Jae, and Joe- Who guards them?
Jrue Holiday has been lights out. He has played well all year and will need to continue to play well for the Bucks to keep up with the winning formula. Joe Ingles hit a couple of nice threes against Brooklyn. Jae Crowder did not play a ton and I wonder if he’ll see some extended time against Orlando.
Jrue Holiday is a “true” all-star for this team. Against Orlando they will have favorable match-ups they’ll need to exploit when they are on the floor. Markelle Fultz was the first overall pick in 2017. Fultz does not shoot the three and generates his offense with two point attempts. Holiday will need to eliminate any offense from him. He should also attack the basket.
Joe Ingles will probably match up against Franz Wagner and Caleb Houstan. Houstan is only 19. Joe Ingles is well-known for his smack talk: talk some smack and get into both of their minds. If those three combine for 30 points, that bodes real well for the Bucks.
The Opponent: The Orlando Magic
The Magic do not have a bonafide star: yet. Paolo Banchero averages 19 points a game. He has not shot the three well this year. (27%) Franz Wagner is second on the team in scoring (18 points a game). Both players turn the ball over way too much, averaging 5 turnovers a game between them.
Markelle Fultz was the number one overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He is trying to resurrect his career in Orlando as a 24 yr old. He is known as a good defender and as a good facilitator of the basketball.
Wendell Carter Jr. is a good player. Averaging 15/8/2, he continues to improve.
Cole Anthony is good but streaky. In a win against Minnesota he has 20 points he was 6/8 from the field and was perfect from the line. Bol Bol has been playing better of late. However in a recent win against Detroit he was perfect in his poor play. 0 points on 0-6 shooting, 0-3 from three and barely managed two rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
Takes us back to the Tony Snell days.
I swear i bet on Tobias Harris and he turns into Tony Snell pic.twitter.com/X8KhoyEQga
— Max Paquet (@squeezesports1) February 28, 2023
Things to tell your friends as you are watching the game
- Why is Orlando winning more than Houston, San Antonio and Detroit, the teams trying to tank? They play defense once in a while. Orlando only gives up 112 points a game. San Antonio is giving up 122 points a game!
- Milwaukee is in the top ten in the NBA in field goals attempts per game. (90.4)
- Similar to the Lopez twins (both attended Stanford) the Wagner brothers both attended Michigan.
- Paolo Banchero has dual citizenship with Italy and the US. He played his college ball at Duke.
- Did you catch “Rise” yet? Check it out. It’ll give you and your buddies some pride in our Milwaukee Bucks.
Follow me on Twitter at @authorrudylb and check out my other writings at www.rudylb.com. Follow us at @WiSportsHeroics! For all things Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
