Middleton comes alive in 4th quarter; Bucks take 3-1 lead
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 24: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives against James Ennis III #11 of the Orlando Magic during the second halfof an NBA basketball first round playoff game at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Spo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, Khris Middleton finally came alive with a huge fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Monday to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.
Middleton scored 18 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 rebounds after being held to one field goal in the first three quarters on 1-of-9 shooting.
Wesley Matthews added 12 points for the Bucks, who can close out the Magic on Wednesday.
“It's just intensity and attention to detail,” Matthews said after the game. “Game 1 we came out a little flat. Credit the Magic, they made shots. ... We had to pick up our intensity.”
Nikola Vucevic continued his strong play for the Magic, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Terrence Ross had 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Milwaukee has now won three straight after losing the series opener to the eighth-seeded Magic.
The top-seeded Bucks led by three entering the fourth quarter before Middleton came alive. He scored 11 points during an 18-2 run on three 3-pointers and a mid-range jumper off an inbouds play to help the Bucks build a 102-83 lead as the Magic went cold from outside.
Antetokounmpo finished the game 14 of 21 from the field, but did most of his damage inside the paint where he was 12 of 14.
TIP INS
Bucks: Made 17 3-pointers on 41 attempts.
Magic: Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot) have not played yet in the series. Their status for Game 5 is unclear.