Early Thursday night, the NBA playoffs in 2020 continued with Game 2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic. In a stunning overhaul, the Magic walked away from the top-seeded Bucks in Game 1 on Tuesday, but Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. bounced back in an important way in Game 2. They dominated almost the entire way, winning 111-96 to even the series at 1-1.
The Bucks’ defense in the bubble had looked nothing like the No. 1 unit in the league, but they found their form on Thursday night. They started the Magic early on, holding on to just 13 points in the first quarter. That set the tone, and they led by as many as 23 before coming to victory. Giannis led the way as usual, finishing with 28 points, 20 rebounds and five assists.
Orlando was a mess to start the game, shooting 3 of 24 in the first quarter, which they quickly doubled back with double figures. To keep their credit, they continued to fight and put a bit of a scare in the Bucks in the fourth quarter, but they now never had a chance after such a rough start. Nikola Vucevic had another strong game in the defeat, finishing with 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
1. Bucks give an explanation
The Bucks were the best team in the league all season, and looked at one point on their way to joining the incredible 70-year-old winning club. But since they started again, they have been slow, playing through games that look nothing like a title game, especially on the defensive end. That was one thing in the boiling games, which did not really matter after they got the no. Quickly close 1-seed. When it went through in Game 1 of this series, that was a problem.
But while no one wants to lose their first playoff game, it could be just the alarm clock the Bucks needed. They were not perfect in Game 2, but they came out with unusual energy, and flew all over the place over the defensive end. Just watch this piece by Giannis, sprint back in transition for an unreal block.
You would have liked them to end the game with more authority in the fourth quarter, but overall this was a much, much better performance from the Bucks, and a reminder of how dominant they can be on both sides of the ball. to be. Well, they’ll just have to show that they can keep it up.
2. Paging Khris Middleton
Middleton was great this season. He made his second straight All-Star Game, averaging a career-high 20.9 points, and just fell short for the 50/40/90 club. But he could have won the scoring title and shot 60 percent from the field, and everyone would still have asked the same question: what can he do in the playoffs?
Middleton was also great last regular season, averaging fairly well in the postseason, giving Milwaukee 16.9 points on 41.8 percent shooting, and was essentially a non-factor against the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference. finals. In an elimination game in Game 6, he put up six points in a narrow loss of six points. It does not matter how good Giannis is, if Middleton plays like that again in the playoffs, the Bucks will not win a title.
Unfortunately for him and the Bucks, he has been so far. They won Thursday night, but he shouldn’t get a pass for just two points. That just can not happen. He’s now averaging a cool eight points on 25 percent shots in the first two games, and the Bucks need him to find his groove before they start playing teams that can actually defeat them four times in a series.
3. Call out to Vucevic
Even though they have been relegated to the playoffs for the past few seasons, the Magic are sort of a forgotten team across the NBA landscape. If anything, they are probably best known by casual fans for Aaron Gordon’s work in the Slam Dunk Contest. And that’s a shame, because it means Nikola Vucevic is over.
He’s not flashy as a super exciting player, but that guy is just really good at basketball. For years he has been a double-double machine, and with his improved 3-point shot has become extremely difficult to protect. The Bucks found it in the first hand in this series because he threw up two monster games.
In her Game 1 win, Vucevic went for 35 points and 14 rebounds, and in Game 2 he followed that up with 32 and 10 to become the first Magic player since Dwight Howard to have back-to-back 30-point games in the playoffs. And while that was ultimately not enough, his 16-point third quarter dragged them back into the game with their own hands. The Magic will be releasing this series, but hopefully everyone will appreciate what Vucevic does every night out.
