For clinching the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic get the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. The Magic are huge underdogs to beat Milwaukee in the first round, but can they shock the NBA with a win in Game 1? Or will the Bucks crush Orlando right away?
The Magic have a tough assignment in the first round, as they’ll be facing the Bucks, whom Orlando has yet to defeat this season. Orlando started well in the seeding games, winning their first two games in the Bubble before losing five straight. They snapped that skid with a 133-127 win over the New Orleans Pelicans last Thursday but will be heading into Game 1 of the series against the Bucks with plenty of questions to answer. Among those is whether Aaron Gordon will be available to play. Gordon has missed four games in a row with a left hamstring issue. Evan Fournier also didn’t play in the Pelicans game due to illness. It’s still possible that both guys play on Monday, given that it’s now the playoffs. The biggest rock Orlando will rely upon is Nikola Vucevic, who’s averaged 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the last four games against Milwaukee.
The Magic are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games.
The Bucks are a complete team that has lots of scorers, outside snipers, and a great defense. It’s no wonder that the Bucks enter the playoffs tops in the league with 118.7 points per game and eighth with just 108.6 points allowed per contest. All things considered, the Bucks should be able to get past through the Magic with ease. The Bucks have a two-headed monster in Giannis Antetokounmpop and Khris Middleton. Antetokoumpo, who is coming off a one-game suspension, is averaging 27.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game since the NBA restart. If there’s a concern for the reigning MVP, it’s his 27.3 percent shooting from deep in Orlando. However, as a team, the Bucks are shooting 35.5 3-point shooting percentage. Middleton, meanwhile, is coming up with 19.7 points per game in the Bubble. This season, the Bucks are scoring 113.8 points and shooting 37.2 percent from deep against the Magic.
The Bucks are 3-1 against the spread in their last four games against Orlando.
