ORLANDO, Fla. _ It was almost as good a start as the Magic could have hoped for against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
The only thing missing was the lead after the opening quarter.
Facing the team with the best record in the NBA, Orlando trailed by just five after 12 minutes and held reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to just two points on 0-of-3 shooting. He also air-balled a free throw.
Circumstances changed in the second quarter. The Bucks caught fire while the Magic went cold as Milwaukee lead wire-to-wire en-route to a 112-95 win at Amway Center.
Orlando (22-31) has now lost 10 of its past 12 games, with the only two wins coming against the Charlotte Hornets.
Antetokounmpo nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks (45-7). Brook Lopez finished with a game-high 23 points and went 5 for 5 from the 3-point line. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points.
Prior to the contest, Magic coach Steve Clifford said in order for his team to have a chance to win, Orlando would have to make a bunch of 3-points. Instead, the Magic struggled from beyond the arc, making only 10 of 40 attempts, and shot an abysmal 37.8% from the field.
Antetokounmpo did not have his most efficient game from the floor, but he provided a sequence early in the third quarter that drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd. He opened the scoring in the second half when he took the ball at the top of the key, spun past Aaron Gordon and then dunked the ball barely leaving his feet.
A few possessions later, after a live ball turnover, Antetokounmpo blocked a layup attempt by Markelle Fultz that brought cheers from a pro-Bucks crowd. Brook Lopez would then finish the possession on the other end with a layup, giving Milwaukee a 70-46 lead.
The Bucks outscored Orlando 33-22 in the second quarter to take a commanding 63-46 lead at halftime.
Milwaukee's lead ballooned to 27 at one point early in the third quarter before the Magic trimmed the deficit to nine early in the fourth quarter. However, the Bucks made enough shots and plays down the stretch.
Newly acquired forward James Ennis was not active against the Bucks.
Orlando hosts the Hawks on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Amway Center.
