The NBA Cup quarterfinals begin on Tuesday night, with the Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Orlando Magic.
The Magic are coming off a 115-110 win over Phoenix on Sunday, staying unbeaten at home this season with a perfect 10-0 record.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 26 points, including 14 in the final quarter, while Goga Bitadze contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds.
“It was by committee. Each person that played stepped up, gave to the group,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s what we said this team is, we’re gonna defend, pull for one another and try to play the right way for one another.”
The Bucks are returning home after a two-game road trip to Boston and Brooklyn. They ended a two-game losing streak with a 118-113 win over the Nets on Sunday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds. Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr. added 23 and 20 points off the bench, and Damian Lillard scored 15 points while also contributing 11 assists.
“They had that stretch where they were about to get away from us, and Giannis took the game over,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “That’s what makes him so great, he sensed that. Stayed aggressive, made the right plays.”
Antetokounmpo leads the NBA with 32.5 points per game and is the Bucks’ top rebounder with 11.6 rebounds per game. Lillard leads the team in assists with 7.5 per game.
Franz Wagner, who is out with a torn oblique, leads Orlando with 24.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Bitadze is the Magic’s top rebounder (7.3) and shot blocker (1.6).
On the injury front, Wagner went down on Dec. 7 and will be re-evaluated in January. He joins Paolo Banchero (torn oblique) on the sidelines.
After Sunday’s game, Mosley gave an update on Banchero: “He’s responded to the things that we’re having him do, but we’ll take it one day at a time and see how he responds each day.”
Mosley did not give a timeline for Banchero’s return.
Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris missed Sunday’s game due to hamstring injuries. Harris will also miss Tuesday’s game, while Isaac is listed as questionable.
Despite their injuries and a 3-6 start, the Magic have moved to first place in the Southeast Division, largely because of their strong defense. The Magic entered Monday ranked third in the NBA with a 105.7 defensive rating.
Milwaukee is more balanced, ranking 10th in offensive rating (113.9) and 14th in defensive rating (113.0). They are particularly strong from beyond the arc, ranking third in 3-point shooting percentage (39.4 percent) entering Monday.
The Bucks are now fully healthy, with Khris Middleton making his season debut on Friday in Boston. The three-time All-Star scored 11 points in 20 minutes on Sunday.
The Bucks lead the all-time series 73-55. They had a 14-game win streak over Orlando until last season, when the teams split their four games. The Magic have not won a season series against the Bucks since a four-game sweep in the 2011-12 season.
The winner of this game will head to Las Vegas on Saturday to compete in the NBA Cup semifinals against the winner of Wednesday night’s New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks matchup.
