MILWAUKEE — Damian Lillard scored the final nine points for Milwaukee, including a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining, as the top-seeded Bucks survived a shorthanded Orlando Magic squad 114-109 in Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Jalen Suggs delivered a career-high 32 points for Orlando, including 18 in the fourth quarter, but his missed three-pointer with 12 seconds left allowed the Bucks to seal the game at the free-throw line. Despite missing stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic gave Milwaukee all it could handle, forcing 13 turnovers and leading late in the fourth quarter.
“Going toe-to-toe with two Hall of Famers and a very experienced basketball team shows the growth of this group,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We won’t make excuses, but I couldn’t be prouder of their effort.”
Orlando came out swinging, causing seven turnovers in the opening quarter and closing on a 9-0 run to take a surprising 31-23 lead after one. Suggs set the tone early with three of his five steals coming in the first 10 minutes.
Milwaukee responded before halftime. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard fueled a 7-0 run to end the second quarter, giving the Bucks a slim 60-59 advantage at the break. Antetokounmpo, who finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds, struggled to distribute as the Magic defense held him to just one assist.
The teams traded leads throughout the second half, but the Bucks appeared to take control when Lillard’s breakaway dunk gave Milwaukee a 108-107 edge with 32.1 seconds to play. The former All-NBA guard capped off a 28-point, nine-assist performance by hitting his final two free throws to secure the win.
Orlando briefly regained momentum late in the fourth when Antetokounmpo rested, erasing a six-point deficit with under two minutes remaining. Suggs knocked down a deep three to cut the Bucks’ lead to one, but his late miss from beyond the arc kept the Magic from completing the upset.
The Magic, now eliminated from the inaugural NBA Cup, will face either the Knicks or Hawks on Sunday. For Milwaukee, the focus shifts to the semifinals, where they’ll meet the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.
“Credit to Orlando — they fought hard,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “But these moments are why we brought in Dame. He stepped up when it mattered most.”
