Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 114-109 on Tuesday, sending the Bucks to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Damian Lillard tied the game at 106 with a step-back 3-pointer with 52.2 seconds left. He then gave the Bucks the lead with a layup and four free throws in the final moments. Lillard finished with 28 points, and Bobby Portis added 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 32 points, while Anthony Black scored 17. Goga Bitadze had 12 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Magic started strong, leading 33-25 after the first quarter. However, the Bucks came back in the second quarter, taking a 49-47 lead after a 6-0 run capped by a Lillard layup.
The quarter ended with both teams trading baskets, and the Bucks went into halftime with a 60-59 lead, thanks to a last-second alley-oop dunk from Lillard to Antetokounmpo during a 7-0 run.
Antetokounmpo scored 20 points in the first half, and Portis had 16. Moritz Wagner led Orlando with 13 points on perfect shooting, while Black had 10. Wagner did not score in the second half.
In the third quarter, the Magic took a six-point lead, but the Bucks ended the quarter with an 18-4 run, taking an 80-72 lead.
Orlando started the fourth quarter strong after scoring only 13 points in the third, pulling within one point with a 9-2 run. The Magic tied the game twice, but Suggs’ shot gave Orlando a 104-103 lead with 1:45 left.
Lillard’s clutch shooting put the Bucks ahead, and their defense sealed the win when they forced Suggs to miss a potential game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.
Milwaukee improved to 5-0 in NBA Cup play and will face the winner of the Wednesday game between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Bucks also extended their home winning streak to nine games against Orlando and have won 17 of the last 19 matchups between the two teams.
