Milwaukee Bucks will take on Orlando Magic in the battle of the Postseason in American Basketball League 2019-20.
Team Preview
Milwaukee Bucks finished their regular season at the top seed and dropped 119-106 by Memphis as the road team in their final seeding game. After dropping two quarters by 10 points, Memphis took away the 3rd quarter 33-24. The final quarter went to Bucks 32-26 but it wasn’t enough. The Bucks had an upper hand over Magic, winning all four meetings this season. In the postseason, the Bucks had defeated Magic by 3-1 in the first round of the 2001 Eastern Conference playoffs. Milwaukee Bucks shot 39.4 percent from the field and lost the rebounding battle 55-46. Brook Lopez paced the Bucks with 19 points and nine rebounds in the defeat. MVP contender Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game this season. The Milwaukee tops the league in scoring offense and rebounds with 118.7 points per game on the season and 51.7 boards per contest respectively.
Meanwhile, Orlando Magic locked up the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and they face the top seed Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their best of seven series. Orlando are fresh off of 133-127 victory over New Orleans Thursday night. After half of the game, Magic had a 16-point advantage which made their winning chances strong despite losing the final two quarters. Nicola Vucevci paced Magic with 23 points while DJ Augustin added 22 points in the win. The Magic shot a blistering 57.1 percent from the field and New Orleans shot 55.2 percent in the contest. The Magic is scoring average 107.3 points per game with 44.5 boards and 23.9 assists per game this season. Nikola Vucevic has been pivotal for Orlando with scoring 19.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest this season.
Starting Possible Lineups
Milwaukee Bucks
Eric Bledsoe (PG), Wesley Matthews (SG), Khris Middleton (SG), Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF), Brook Lopez (C)
Orlando Magic
Markelle Fultz (PG), Evan Fournier (SG), James Ennis III (SF/PF), Aaron Gordon (PF), Nikola Vucevic (C)
Key Players
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF): 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds
Khris Middleton (SG): 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds
Eric Bledsoe (PG): 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists
Orlando Magic
Nikola Vucevic (C): 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds
Evan Fournier (SG): 18.5 points, 2.6 rebounds
Aaron Gordon (PF): 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds
