Bucks seeking return to form as they open against Magic
The Milwaukee Bucks head into the playoffs seeking to regain the form that enabled them to earn the NBA's best record.
Milwaukee (56-17) has gone 3-5 since the NBA resumed play at Walt Disney World after a 4 ½-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. After losing only nine of their first 62 games this season, the Bucks have dropped eight of their last 11.
The Bucks' recent slump lends some intrigue to what otherwise looks like a lopsided first-round playoff matchup with the Orlando Magic (33-40). The best-of-seven series starts Tuesday.
“As a team, they’ve done a lot of great work in the season to put ourselves in this position,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Now we’ve got some work to do. We’ve got to sharpen up. We’ve got to get better. But I have total faith and belief in this group, what they’ve done to date, how they work and how they’ve performed.”
It’s worth noting that the Bucks , virtually assured of owning the , giving them little incentive while other teams were competing for playoff position.
Other things to know about the series:
NEEDING THE GREEK
Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t played in four of the Bucks’ last seven losses, as he dealt with a , just before the hiatus and missed one game due to , and , due to a , while in Florida.
HEALTHY AND HURTING
The Bucks’ main concern at Disney has been making sure they enter the postseason healthy, and that’s something they’ve managed to do as they chase their
Orlando hasn’t been nearly as fortunate.
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac , in his left knee on Aug. 3 after making it back from a knee injury earlier in the season. Orlando dropped five straight immediately after losing Isaac before , in its final seeding game.
Orlando has other injury issues as well. Aaron Gordon missed the Magic’s last four games with a strained left hamstring and Michael Carter-Williams missed five straight with a strained left foot. Mo Bamba is out for the season as he undergoes a post-coronavirus evaluation.
MAGIC'S MISSION
Magic coach Steve Clifford said he liked the fact this series is starting Tuesday rather than Monday because it gives some of his ailing players an extra day to recover. But all these injuries create an additional hurdle for a team that
“We are the underdogs,” said Magic guard Evan Fournier, who sat out Orlando’s last three games due to an illness unrelated to COVID-19. “It’s just the truth. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to fight as hard as we can to win and do damage.”
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