Milwaukee Bucks: 3 Takeaways from the 123-91 win over the Orlando Magic

The Milwaukee Bucks got back on track in convincing fashion Friday night in Orlando on the first night of a back-to-back with a 123-91 rout of the Magic.

After falling to 2-2 after a second-half collapse in Boston the other night, the Milwaukee Bucks certainly looked like they needed a vacation, and what better place than “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Orlando, Florida?

After the Lopez Bros enjoyed some rest and relaxation at Disney World, the rest of the Bucks got some swagger back in a bounce-back defensive performance.

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The Bucks started off slow again, but found their groove in the latter half of the first quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as 34 points.

They never let the Magic get too close after outscoring them 31-14 in the second quarter, which is a welcome sight for a team that blew second-half leads in each of its two losses to start the season.

Any momentum Orlando tried to muster was stalled by the Bucks’ defense, which capitalized by creating 27 points off turnovers, a nine-point advantage over the Magic.

Milwaukee’s interior defense looked especially better, allowing just 32 points in the paint after allowing 50 points against Cleveland earlier in the week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 29 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 14 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. His seven turnovers were not ideal, but he looked much more confident and aggressive on the court than in Boston.

The rest of the Bucks’ big three also showed up, with Eric Bledsoe enjoying his best game of the season so far after a rough start. He finished with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a turnover. Khris Middleton continued his hot start to the season with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, and two turnovers.

Milwaukee’s bench outscored the Orlando Magic 57-32 with key contributions from Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill, and Ersan Ilyasova.

Oh, and human victory cigar Thanasis Antetokounmpo had a pretty wild first two points of his Bucks career with an absolute poster finish over poor Wes Iwundu who just wanted the game to be over at that point:

On a less positive note, Wes Matthews struggled for his second straight game, attempting just one field goal and registering one steal in his 20 minutes of action after a disappointing showing in Boston in which he managed to hit just 1-of-8 field goal attempts.

Brook Lopez also looked like he was still dealing with a post-Disney hangover and struggled offensively but still managed to end with a +18 on the night.

Overall, though, the Bucks looked much more like themselves Friday night and enjoyed some well-deserved rest before taking on a Raptors team that has won four of its first five games.