Bucks at Magic
THE STORY: The Orlando Magic are back to streaking in the right direction thanks to an offense that has rediscovered its stroke from the outside. The Milwaukee Bucks, once a defensive threat, have had trouble stopping any of the teams on their schedule lately, including the Magic. Orlando’s current three-game winning streak began with a 99-94 victory at Milwaukee last Saturday. That started a three-game slide for the Bucks, who have dropped six of their last eight. Milwaukee has allowed an average of 105.1 points over its last seven.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSWI (Milwaukee), SUN (Orlando)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (12-17): The beginning of a three-game road trip might be a good thing for Milwaukee, which has dropped five straight at home. The Bucks ranked third in the NBA in scoring defense last season but have taken a big step back, down to 22nd and slipping by the game. They were lit up on the perimeter by Orlando on Saturday, with Jason Richardson burying nine 3-pointers en route to a game-high 31 points. Milwaukee was bitten by the 3-pointer again Wednesday, allowing Marco Belinelli to hit six in a 92-89 loss to the lowly New Orleans Hornets.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (19-11): With Dwight Howard collecting defenders in the paint, the outside is usually open for Orlando. The Magic attempted 37 3-pointers in Milwaukee, hitting 15, and are shooting better than 45 percent from beyond the arc in the last three games. Ryan Anderson buried seven 3-pointers on Wednesday as part of a 15-for-25 effort by Orlando in a 103-87 win over Philadelphia. In addition to the outside shooting, the Magic have managed to win seven of nine this month with strong team defense, holding teams to an average of 92.6 points in February.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bucks have dropped 11 in a row in Orlando.
2. Howard was held to 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.
3. Milwaukee, which is without C Andrew Bogut, is expected to work out free agent Kyrylo Fesenko soon.