ORLANDO, Fla. – Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points and 14 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Orlando 109-106 on Friday night in spite of 34 points by the Magic’s Paolo Banchero in his long-awaited return from an injury.

What we know

Damian Lillard added 29 points for the Bucks, including a couple of free throws with 9.3 seconds left for the game’s final points.

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Playing for the first time since tearing his right oblique on Oct. 30, Banchero also had seven rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. He made 5 of 8 3-point shots.

Cole Anthony had 18 points and seven rebounds for Orlando and Tristan da Silva had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Bobby Portis came off Milwaukee’s bench to score 11 points and grab seven rebounds.

With the Bucks clinging to a one-point lead with 9.3 seconds left, Lillard was fouled by Anthony Black and fell down while taking an inbounds pass. The Magic challenged the call but it was ruled that Black had made contact with both hands.

The Bucks shot 52% to offset nine missed free throws (seven by Antetokounmpo).

ORLANDO, Fla. – On the second night of a back-to-back, the Orlando Magic host the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night inside the Kia Center. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET.

Orlando is sandwiched in the middle of a three-games-in-four-days stretch. The Magic were beaten comfortably 104-89 by the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday, dropping them to 22-17 this season. Their grasp on the fourth seed in the East is down to a one-game lead.

The Bucks come in off a day of rest, having defeated the San Antonio Spurs 121-105 at home Wednesday night. At 19-16, they’re hot on the Magic’s tail for the last spot of home-court advantage in the East’s playoff picture.

It’s the second matchup between the two teams this year, but the first one that was originally scheduled. An NBA cup quarterfinal matchup a month ago to the day altered that plan, however.

Who: Orlando Magic (22-17) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (19-16)
What: NBA Regular Season Game
When: Friday, January 10, 2025, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FDSN Wisconsin, NBA TV, NBA League Pass
Radio: 96.9 The Game, Orlando Magic Audio Network, SiriusXM
Point Spread: Milwaukee -6.5
Last Meeting: Milwaukee 114, Orlando 109 on 12/10/24

Orlando Magic

Milwaukee Bucks

Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic: Mosley tipped off his fourth NBA season as a head coach this season, all of which having come with the Magic. He’s 125-160 in the regular season all-time, and 3-4 in the playoffs. Before Mosley was named the head coach of the Magic, he was an assistant with Dallas, Cleveland, and Denver. He’s a Colorado alum, and played four years of professional basketball in Mexico, Australia, Finland and South Korea.

Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks: Rivers is in his first full campaign with the Bucks after taking over for Adrian Griffin in the middle of the 2023-24 season. His coaching career began with the Magic in 1999-2000, when at age 38, he led the Magic to a 41-41 record and won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. He’s a former NBA champion with the 2008 Boston Celtics, and has spent parts of 26 seasons manning NBA sidelines. Milwaukee is the fifth team he’s coached, with previous stops in Orlando, Boston, Los Angeles with the Clippers and Philadelphia. As part of the NBA’s 75 year anniversary celebration during the 2021-22 season, Rivers was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in league history.

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MILWAUKEE – A 58-year-old is dead after a crash in Milwaukee on Thursday, Jan. 9.

The Milwaukee Police Department said it happened around 2:44 p.m. near Vienna and Appleton. The 58-year-old driver was traveling eastbound when the vehicle collided with an unoccupied, parked vehicle. 

While being transported to a local hospital for injuries received, the driver became unresponsive and was pronounced deceased.

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The cause of the crash is still under active investigation.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Milwaukee Police Department at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app.