The Orlando Magic could not complete a perfect homestead heading into the All-Star break. Here are my vie takeaways from their loss on Wednesday to the Milwaukee Bucks.
ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic fell to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, 116-108.
It was the final game for Magic before the All-Star break— here are my five takeaways.
1. Three out of four ain’t bad: Just a week ago, Orlando was barely keeping its head above water with a 25-24 record. The trade deadline had passed, and the only move the front office made was to ship Tyus Jones and two second-round picks off to Charlotte the night before in exchange for cash considerations and to slide below the luxury tax.
Even though Jones did not produce well on the court, his locker room presence and leadership left players and coaches saddened by his departure.
Things were grim, but the Magic had a silver lining; a four-game home stand leading into the break against struggling teams. It was a chance to get back on track, and the Magic mostly took advantage of it.
Perhaps no one in the locker room was more affected by the organization’s decision to trade Jones than Jalen Suggs; who has deep, longstanding ties to Jones. But a somber state did not hinder Suggs’ play. In fact, he logged the first triple double of his career in a big win over the Brooklyn Nets to kick off the home stand.
The Magic would go on to win two more games after that to extend their winning streak to three games; creating a level of consistency that had been all too difficult to come by since the turn of the new year and even before that. They could not head into the break with a 4-0 record at home, but a 28-25 record provides a bit more breathing room than what Orlando had before.
2. It was one of those Cam Thomas games: When Cam Thomas was waived by the Nets after the Feb. 5 trade deadline, a lot of NBA fans expressed their confusion on social media for why he was not immediately poached by another franchise given his ability to score at a high clip. Three days after the deadline, he agreed to a deal with the Bucks on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Magic spoiled Thomas’ first game in a Bucks uniform by holding him to four points on 1-5 shooting. But on Wednesday, he got his revenge.
Thomas had a scoring outburst off the bench; notching 34 points in 25 minutes on 60% shooting that included a 29-foot dagger with 21 seconds left to play. Orlando may have been able to sweep the Bucks going into the break, but Thomas did not let it happen.
3. Jalen Suggs continues to distribute: Suggs scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists in Wednesday’s loss; marking the third time in four games he has logged 10 or more dimes. The 24-year-old continues to faciliate at a high rate. He will need to continue doing that for the Magic moving forward to ensure success down the stretch.
4. Desmond Bane shines again: While Cam Thomas was on a heater, so was Desmond Bane. Through a 31-point performance in which he hit eight of his 11 3-point attempts, Bane reminded everyone, once again, why he was worth the price to acquire him. According to Orlando Magic PR, he became the ninth player in franchise history to have multiple games with seven-plus 3-pointers made in a season.
5. Paolo Banchero must improve after the All-Star break: A 17-point performance on 31.1% shooting in the loss to the Bucks illustrates the up and down season it has been for Banchero. Some games, he looks like the rising star he has been through the first three seasons of his NBA career. Other games, well, look like Wednesday’s. He is averaging 21.3 points through 43 games, which is a notable drop from the 25.9 points he averaged last season.
It is clear what Banchero is capable of, and the Magic are going to need him to be the best version of himself after the break.