3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ dominant win over Orlando Magic

The Milwaukee Bucks seemingly entered Monday night’s rematch against the Orlando Magic with a bone to pick.

After trailing by two points early on, the Bucks erupted throughout the first quarter as they built up a sizeable lead with little resistance. Leading by 20 points after one, the defending champions never looked back as their lead grew to be as big as an astounding 51 points in the third quarter. While the Bucks have had some trouble holding onto leads late in ballgames recently, there was no way they would let this one slip away, as they secured the 123-92 win over the Magic. Every Buck that hit the floor scored the ball as it was just one of those nights where everything seemed to be tipping in favor of the Bucks. With all of that being said, here are three big takeaways from Milwaukee’s fourth consecutive victory.

Struggling with his shot, Giannis Antetokounmpo shows his brilliance as a passer for the Milwaukee Bucks

If someone heard that the Bucks were up by 51 points at one point in a game, their first thought would likely be that Giannis Antetokounmpo was having a performance for the ages. However, that was far from the case against the Magic, as the Greek Freak actually struggled with his shot for most of the night. Having finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting (0-for-4 from deep) it was a tough shooting night for Antetokounmpo, which helped him focus on his passing.

Antetokounmpo was excellent as a passer throughout the game, as he finished with nine assists. It could have easily been 10, but Rodney Hood missed a corner 3-pointer in the third quarter that would have given the two-time MVP another assist after he had Orlando’s Robin Lopez shook. It was a highlight waiting to happen, but unfortunately, Hood could not connect. Yet, Giannis had his share of flashy assists on the night, throwing some sweet passes to Grayson Allen and this dime to George Hill on the break.

Antetokounmpo’s facilitating has been great over the past few seasons, but he only continues to improve it seems. Last night’s game was a perfect example of that as he looked like a seasoned floor general out there for the Bucks, finding his teammates all over the court. Although very rare, tough shooting nights like these are bound to happen for Antetokounmpo, so seeing him settle in and get his teammates involved rather than forcing up shots through frustration is a great sign. He continues getting better and better.