Beede’s Breakdown: Magic handle Bucks to win fourth in a row behind Banchero’s 33

Speaking pre-game ahead of Sunday’s contest between the Magic and Bucks, Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley pointed towards his team’s ability to set the tone early as a major factor behind Saturday’s win at Minnesota.

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One night later at Milwaukee, the Magic followed a similar recipe for success, scoring the first seven points of the game, limiting the Bucks to 15 points in the opening quarter and leading by 12 at the break.

Those efforts combined with a 33-15 advantage in the third quarter all led to a 130-91 Magic victory over the Bucks on Sunday night inside Fiserv Forum behind 33 points from star forward Paolo Banchero.

Although both sides were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, it was Orlando who pieced together a complete performance to improve to 7-2 when playing with no rest in between games. The win also secures the three-game regular-season series for the Magic against the Bucks after the teams split of a pair of games ahead of the NBA All-Star break.

It also marks the first time the Magic have won four consecutive contests this season.

While Milwaukee (27-36) was without two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf injury management), Kyle Kuzma (thoracic spine contusion) and Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee synovitis), Orlando was without Anthony Black (low back strain), Jonathan Isaac (left knee strain) and rookie Jase Richardson (low back spasms).

The Magic (35-28) return home when they host the Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Kia Center on ESPN.

Banchero’s big night

Banchero finished with 30-plus points for the ninth time this season by attacking the paint early and often, hitting from beyond the arc and taking advantage of his time at the free throw line.

He did most of his damage prior to halftime, not needing to see the floor in the fourth quarter. A seven-point first quarter was followed by a 19-point third quarter for him to post 26 in the first half alone.

Searching for his spots on the floor and taking what Milwaukee’s defense gave him, Banchero shot 3 for 4 from 3-point range in the second quarter. He added five rebounds, three assists and a block in just 29 minutes.

Rest of starters

While Banchero did most of the scoring in the second quarter for the Magic, Bane scored a quick five points in the opening three minutes of the frame to post eight before the break.

Bane was active on both ends of the court finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

Suggs pieced together a similar performance knocking down all three of his attempted 3-pointers for 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. It marked his ninth time scoring 20-plus points this season.

Bane (three turnovers) and Suggs (five), however, were responsible for eight of the team’s 15 total turnovers.

Tristan da Silva hit his first 3-pointer of the game and did a lot of the dirty work with six rebounds and five assists despite only scoring five points in 27 minutes.

Help from Howard

Third-year pro Jett Howard knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 14 points in 25 minutes.

Howard took an inadvertent hit to his left eye late in the first quarter from Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr., but he was able to remain in the game and hit a 3-pointer on the following possession.

He added two assists and two rebounds as well.

Rookie watch

Richardson missed his second game in a row but Mosley said pre-game that the first-round pick has “gotten a little bit better,” but not to a point where he could play at Milwaukee. Mosley pointed to wear-and-tear, along with travel, for Richardson’s back problems.

Second-round pick Noah Penda entered late in the first quarter and saw extended action throughout the night. The French forward nailed a step-back 3-pointer before the half to notch eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]

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