ORLANDO, Fla. _ When the Orlando Magic played terribly in a loss Wednesday night in New Orleans, Magic forward Jeff Green said he and his teammates needed to bring anger to the court during their next game.
The Magic did that Friday, and Green led the charge.
With their season in danger of slipping away, the Magic defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 112-96 at Amway Center with some old-fashioned heart and hustle.
Green scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and distributed a pair of assists off the bench. Green also defended Milwaukee All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo at times and brought energy that set an example for his teammates.
The Magic sealed their victory early in the fourth.
Milwaukee opened the period by scoring seven consecutive points to cut its deficit to 88-81.
Elfrid Payton sank a 3-pointer to end the Bucks' run. On Milwaukee's ensuing trip down the court, Jabari Parker lost control of the ball, and Payton hurled the ball ahead to D.J. Augustin. Augustin tossed a lob toward the hoop, and Green dunked the ball on the fast break, sending many in the announced crowd of 19,307 to their feet.
Suddenly, the Magic led 93-81 and had some badly needed breathing room.
After a miss by the Bucks' Mirza Teletovic, Aaron Gordon sank a pull-up jumper, prompting Bucks coach Jason Kidd to call a timeout.
Payton finished with a team-high 20 points, four rebounds and six assists.
The Magic (18-27) needed all the energy they could muster because they were shorthanded at shooting guard against the Bucks (20-22).
Evan Fournier sat out his fourth consecutive game because of soreness in his right heel and right foot. Jodie Meeks missed his first game because of a dislocated right thumb.
Magic coach Frank Vogel decided to start C.J. Watson at shooting guard instead of D.J. Augustin or Mario Hezonja.
"I'm trying to put Mario in a position to play more of a small-forward role than a shooting-guard role," Vogel said before tipoff. "I think he's better offensively and defensively against like-sized guys, and he struggles against smaller guys."
Watson finished with five points, five rebounds and two assists, and he had a stabilizing effect on his teammates.
In the first half, Hezonja blocked a shot by Antetokounmpo and stripped the ball from Michael Beasley.
In 13 minutes, Hezonja finished with three points.
On Nov. 21, the Magic lost to the Bucks 93-89.
Orlando turned the ball over 25 times that night, leading to 25 Milwaukee points.
On Friday, however, the Magic did a much better job of protecting the ball. They committed 10 turnovers, which led to just four Bucks points.
No one on the Bucks _ and few players in the league _ are more dangerous in transition than Antetokounmpo, who will start for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game next month. But the Magic limited Antetokounmpo to 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
Parker inflicted much of the Bucks' damage. The third-year forward scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half to help the Bucks recover from a 48-37 second-quarter deficit.
The Magic needed a victory. They had lost nine of their previous 11 games to fall 4{ games behind the Eastern Conference's eighth-place team, the Chicago Bulls.
A sequence late in Friday's third quarter highlighted the Magic's better energy. Bismack Biyombo blocked a pair of shots by Antetokounmpo just seconds apart.
Biyombo finished with 13 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
But Green played one of his best games of the season.
Too often this season, the Magic have settled for perimeter jumpers.
On Friday, however, Green drove to the hoop on several occasions.
With 6:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, Green drove into the lane and drew Antetokounmpo's fifth foul. Green made both of his free throws, giving Orlando a 100-83 lead.
When the Bucks threatened to make one last run, Gordon drew a charge on Antetokounmpo as Antetokounmpo sped forward in transition. Antetokounmpo fouled out on the play.
Green had set a tone.
His teammates followed.
