ORLANDO, Fla. _ Live by the 3. Die by the 3.
The Orlando Magic opened their game Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks by doing an imitation of the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors. The Magic made seven of their first 13 attempts from 3-point range and built a 50-41 lead.
But long-range shooting can be fickle, especially against a tall, active team like the Bucks.
The Magic missed their next 14 3-point tries.
Hurt by all those empty possessions, the Magic lost to the Bucks, 111-104, at Amway Center.
Jonathon Simmons broke the Magic's string of missed 3s when he swished a trey with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter, cutting the Bucks' lead to 102-100.
But on Milwaukee's ensuing possession, Khris Middleton countered with a pull-up jumper.
Mario Hezonja attempted another 3 on Orlando's next trip down the court, and the attempt rattled off the rim. A few seconds later, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored on a driving floater as he was fouled by Hezonja. Antetokounmpo converted the foul shot to put Milwaukee ahead 107-100 with 45 seconds to go.
The Magic ended the game 8 for 30 from beyond the arc.
Hezonja drew the primary assignment of guarding Antetokounmpo early. The Magic planned to back off Antetokounmpo and dare him to shoot from long range.
Antetokounmpo still generated shots at the rim and finished with 32 points on 14-of-24 shooting.
The Magic entered Saturday night with more momentum than they've had since early November.
From Jan. 16 through Thursday, the Magic pieced together a 6-5 record, including a three-game winning streak they carried into tipoff against the Bucks.
"It definitely feels better, but the beginning of the season is still painful," swingman Evan Fournier said before the game. "So we definitely enjoyed these wins, but it doesn't erase the fact that we lost a lot of games and (had) injuries. It was a tough season, but we are competing and we are being in the moment. And that's why we're playing good."
The Magic (18-37) knew they'd face a difficult test against the Bucks (31-24).
Milwaukee opened Saturday fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Bucks use their agility, height and long arms to their advantage. At tipoff, they ranked fourth in the NBA in turnovers forced, 15.5 per game. And once Antetokounmpo gets the ball in the open court, he's almost impossible to stop.
Magic coach Frank Vogel warned his players they couldn't afford to give the ball away.
"It's about taking care of the basketball and making sure you're efficient at the rim," Vogel said.
"With all that length, if you're shooting off-balance shots or (making) weak finishes at the rim, you're going to shoot a poor percentage there, and then they're going to be on the break. So how well we execute offensively is a big part of whether we win."
The Magic led 54-50 at halftime.
Their offense faltered in the third quarter. They went 6 for 23 from the field, including going 0 for 8 from 3-point range.
Antetokounmpo scored eight points in the third quarter's first four minutes on a running layup, a 19-foot jumper, a driving layup and a dunk off a cut to the hoop.
Vogel adjusted his defense, bringing in reserve center Khem Birch off the bench and having Birch guard Antetokounmpo. The change slowed Antetokounmpo _ he scored only 11 more points the rest of the game _ but the Magic's struggles on offense continued.
Hezonja finished with 23 points, and second-string point guard Shelvin Mack added 19 points and dished out 10 assists.
The Bucks went 9 for 25 from 3-point range.
But when you have an MVP candidate on your team, you don't need to be above average or better from beyond the arc.
The Magic don't have a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber, and they needed to be better with their outside shooting.
