Bucks at Magic
The Milwaukee Bucks are good enough that they didn't seriously wade into an active trade deadline on Thursday and went out that night and added to their NBA-best record by rolling past the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks will try to push their latest winning streak to four straight when they visit the struggling Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 36 points, 20 rebounds and six assists on Thursday in what is becoming an increasingly normal stat line for the reigning MVP, who is averaging 30.2 points, 13.4 boards and 5.8 assists. "Happy that we are winning, happy that we're playing good, but I can get a lot better," Antetokounmpo told reporters after the win. "I can be smarter, I can be sharper, I can make better passes on time. I can make 3-point shots, two-point shots. I can be better." The Magic can be better as well and nearly pulled off a win on the second night of a back-to-back at New York on Thursday before a bad turnover on the final possession allowed the Knicks to escape with a 105-103 win. "We didn't lose because of that last play; we lost because we had (21) turnovers and because we couldn't get stops," Orlando center Nikola Vucevic told reporters. "The (21) turnovers against any team, especially on the road, it's going to be very, very difficult, especially for a team like us that's already playing for minimal room for error (because of injuries)."
TIME: 5 p.m. ET. TV: FS Wisconsin, FS Florida, TSN1
ABOUT THE BUCKS (44-7): Antetokounmpo is the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1965 to post five consecutive games of at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five assists and is pleased that his team kept its roster intact at the deadline. "I think the guys that we have, the chemistry that we have on the team is amazing right now," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "The guys we have are playing great. These are the guys I've been going to war with all season and I'm happy we still have the same team." Antetokounmpo will serve as a captain at next weekend's All-Star game and made one of his picks during Thursday's draft teammate Khris Middleton, who scored 20 points in Thursday's win and posted 20 or more in each of the last five contests.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (22-30): Orlando made one move before the trade deadline, bringing in forward James Ennis from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a second-round draft pick. "Experienced guy, terrific competitor, he's played in playoff series and he's got good versatility, so I think he'll fit in well," Magic coach Steve Clifford told reporters of Ennis. "(Defense), to me, is the thing that really stands out because he's a really good competitor. He has the quickness and length to defend multiple positions, which is obviously a big help for any team." Ennis is expected to add defense and shooting to a team missing Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) and Jonathan Isaac (knee) in the frontcourt.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SG Terrence Ross is 8-of-29 from the floor, including 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, over the last two games.
2. Bucks SG Wesley Matthews is 7-of-12 from beyond the arc in the last two contests.
3. Milwaukee took the first three meetings, including a 123-91 drubbing at Orlando on Nov. 1.