3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ close call win versus Orlando Magic
By Dalton Sell
It was not pretty towards the end, but the Milwaukee Bucks finally got above .500 this season after defeating the Orlando Magic last night.
The defending champions are now 9-8 on the season following a 117-108 victory over Orlando and have won their last three consecutive games. That is Milwaukee’s longest winning streak of the season to this point, which certainly shines a light on the injuries and illnesses they have had to maneuver through early on. There were some bumps in the road to make it three straight, but here are three takeaways from last night’s win over the Magic.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have a fourth-quarter problem as they take nearly blow a sizeable lead for the second consecutive game
Just when it seems like the Bucks have a game finished, they take their foot off the gas and make things far too close for comfort. This was precisely the case as they had a 29-point lead late in the third quarter last night, only for things to turn nearly disastrous in the fourth and final period. The Magic battled all the way back from virtually the point of no return to cut their deficit to six points with just a tick over two minutes remaining.
Thankfully, Milwaukee avoided total embarrassment as they held off Orlando’s late push and got the win, but giving up a whopping 37 points in the fourth is far from appealing. The Bucks just did not carry that same intensity to the fourth that had been on full display throughout the first three quarters, and it nearly came back to bite them in what would have been an all-time collapse. Sure, one game like this might be fine to put in the rearview, but the Bucks did the exact same thing the night before as the OKC Thunder came to town.
The Bucks had a 20 point lead at one point in Friday’s matchup, but the Thunder clawed their way back into it and trailed by just two late in the fourth. Just as they did against the Magic, the Bucks managed to pull away late to secure the win, but it was another nail-biting finish that should not have been that close to begin with.
Third quarters have typically been the toughest for the Bucks this season, but these back-to-back near collapses in the fourth say that it might be the final 12 minutes that need fixing. It starts with keeping the same intensity throughout, which was not the case in last night’s game with Orlando. The Bucks got the win, but it will be worth monitoring whether this becomes a trend or just a blip.