The
Milwaukee Bucks look to
win for the fifth time in six games tonight against the Orlando Magic and further prove their
blowout loss in New York on Jan. 12 was a hiccup in a
stretch of solid play as opposed to a harbinger of another series of up-and-down performances. Milwaukee, which is 0-8 against the Eastern Conference’s top three teams in Cleveland, Boston and New York has had some better luck against Orlando. The Bucks
just beat the Magic on Saturday in Florida in a tight game in which Magic star Paolo Banchero played his first game since October. The Bucks also beat the Magic in early December in the
Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal .
The Magic has been short-handed in each of those games – decided by five and three points, respectively – and will be again tonight as they’re without starters Franz Wagner (oblique) and Jalen Suggs (back) and key reserves Gary Harris (hamstring), Mo Wagner (knee) and Goga Bitadze (concussion). Starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who left the game on Saturday with a knee injury, was cleared to start for Orlando, however.
Is Giannis playing?
He is probable to play on the second night of a back-to-back as he continues to manage pain in his right knee. He has yet to miss a game with that issue, which he’s been dealing with since training camp.
Khris Middleton expected to return for Bucks
As the Bucks continue to manage the minutes and effectiveness of Khris Middleton, he is probable to play after sitting out Tuesday night’s game against Sacramento. It gave him consecutive games off. Middleton played 12 straight games from Dec. 6-Jan. 4, a stretch that included a back-to-back, but he’s
since been sent back to the bench and missed games on Jan. 6 and 14 to manage his return from offseason surgery on both ankles.
Milwaukee's Jamahl Mosley leading Magic resurgence
The Journal Sentinel's Ben Steele had a nice profile on Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who is best friends with UW-Milwaukee assistant coach Jose Winston.
Bucks starting lineup
Bucks injury report
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The 7 p.m. tip-off will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the call.
Bucks vs. Magic odds, over/under
Milwaukee is a 5.5-point favorite over Orlando and the over/under is 211.5 points, per BetMGM.
