Markelle Fultz (l.) In lay-up against Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez (r.)
Photo: Kim Klement / APThe Milwaukee Bucks surprisingly lost their first game of the NBA playoffs. Against Orlando Magic, eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks fell behind early and lost 110: 122 (52:62). Only at the beginning of the second half did Milwaukee come within striking distance for a few minutes when they were only three points behind, but lost contact.
In the regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks had played at a historic level for a long time until Giannis Antetokounmpo was slowed down by a minor knee injury and the season was interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the restart in Disney World, Milwaukee presented itself in moderate form, there were only three wins from eight games. Still, the Bucks ended the season with 56 wins and only 17 losses, the best record in the NBA.
The Bucks owe their success in large part to Antetokounmpo, who was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the league last season. This year he is one of the finalists for the award, and he is also a candidate for the best defender of the year. Against Orlando he had 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists - actually impressive statistics. In the last quarter, however, he often seemed unimaginative and could not bring his team back on.
The outstanding player on the other hand was also a big man: Nikola Vucevic. The Montenegrin scored 35 pointsCenter, he also caught 14 rebounds. Vucevic tried eight times from the three-point line, five times he was successful. In addition to Vucevic, five other Magic professionals scored double-digit points.
On Friday night (midnight) Orlando can extend the lead in the Best-of-Seven series against Milwaukee. Since the introduction of the current playoff format in 1984, only four eighth-placed teams have succeeded in knocking out the first in the table in the first playoff round.
Icon: The mirror