Replay of last Friday’s match which served as a welcome return to Paolo Banchero. Milwaukee plays for the second straight night at Fiserv Forum against one of the toughest teams in the East. The Magic remained at the top of the standings despite losing their stars and now have their star player back. If fatigue (or rest) doesn’t get in the way, it’s a great game.
Bucks vs. Bucks Date and Time magic
Date: January 15 in the United States, early morning of January 16 Spanish time.
Hour: These are the start times for Bucks vs. Magic depending on the time zone.
| Spain (peninsula), France and Italy | 02:00 |
| Dominican Republic, United States (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 21:00 |
| Mexique (center), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 19:00 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and United States (Los Angeles) | 17:00 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 22:00 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, United States (Chicago and Texas), Peru and Panama | 20:00 |
Seat: Forum Fiserv (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Bucks Quintets Vs. magic
The Bucks, in principle, leave without causing any casualties. Jalen Suggs has a few days left, as does Franz Wagner. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a doubt.
| Bucks | magic |
| Damian Lillard | Antoine Cole |
| André Jackson Jr. | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope* |
| Prince Taurus | Paolo Bancaro |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Tristan Da Silva |
| Brook Lopez | Goga Bitadzé* |
*: doubt.
Latest news for the Bucks: injuries and form
Gary Trent Jr. will remain out and Khris Middleton is a doubt. Updates can be expected in the afternoon announcing the loss of a team stalwart on the second night of from to two.
Simple victory yesterday against the Sacramento Kings who were on a roll but exhausted by their visit to Chicago. The team expanded the field early on thanks to the success of Damian Lillard, who looked to DeRozan to take away his embarrassment. From there, Bucks insiders felt very comfortable.
Milwaukee, somewhat irregular, had just suffered a slight beating against the Knicks. Remembering the old ghosts of its non-existent external defense. These Bucks, with Jackson Jr. in the starting five, are more physical than the previous ones. But Jalen Brunson made the guard dance, causing him trouble in the opening minutes of the game. Fortunately, today they won’t face a dominant manager like him.
Player to watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis once again activated “over my dead body” mode. The Greek supports the team night after night and only depends on the company we can offer him to end up winning the matches or not. The same Friday against Orlando, he scored 41 points.
Last minute for the Magic: injuries and form
Long casualty list: Moe Wagner (rest of season), Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Gary Harris are out. KCP, Bitadze and Jett Howard are doubtful.
Recognition phase of the Magic before the return of their star. The team still has the same identity. Mostly defensive. But in the end, he has a figure that facilitates the attacking processes. Playing with Cole Anthony as the most unbalanced player isn’t the best experience.
In these more than two months, Orlando has maintained the field factor and leads Milwaukee by precisely half a game. If the Bucks win today, they will surpass them. They already did it less than a week ago, but it was barely and today the Magic arrive more rested to fight back.
Player to watch: Paolo Banchero
The Italian-American returned with efficiency as his flag. So far, he has scored 34 and 20 points on 55% field goal shooting and 60% three-point shooting. Maybe the Magic will ask him for more creative leverage for the rest, but for now, they’re forced to play with two point guards, so he can focus on fine-tuning his execution.
Dollars vs. Magic: Match History
A duel which is already starting to have a certain history thanks to the 130 meetings played between the two since 1989. Milwaukee dominates with 75 victories. Advantage acquired during the last five years of domination of Giannis’ team. The Magic failed to beat the Bucks from February 2019 to November 2023. Which translates to 14 straight wins. Last year the record was 2-2 and this year it’s 2-0 again for the Bucks.
Predictions for Bucks vs. magic
Return to the region. The Magic change absolutely everything and have plays and a plan to avoid leaving their big players exposed far from the rim. This allows them to only receive 30 outside attempts per game, one of Milwaukee’s strengths when defenses close in on them. The Bucks have already been forced to attack the zone more than they usually do and today will be no different.
Limit 100 points. The Magic’s last three wins have left the rival with fewer than 100 points. In the last 7, when they received more, they lost. Despite everything, Orlando still has the second best defense in the competition and that’s where they build their victories. If it doesn’t work 100%, the margin for error widens.
The Lillard factor. Dame scored 24 points or more in four of the five games he played against the Magic in a Milwaukee jersey. All sealed by victory. The only one where he didn’t reach that number, they lost him. He remained at 16 points at 14% shooting on April 14.
Where to watch Bucks vs. magic
The match between Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription.
(Cover photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
