Orlando @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 9, 2019 ) Orlando 101, Milwaukee 110

Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could sit out his second straight game due to a back injury when the Bucks host the Orlando Magic on Saturday. Antetokounmpo averaged just 19.3 points during a three-game span prior to sitting out Friday's 112-86 rout of the Atlanta Hawks.

Not having the reigning MVP didn't stop the Bucks from reaching the 100-point mark for the 57th straight time and they sit four shy of the NBA mark set by the Houston Rockets during the 2016-17 season. "It was super impressive," Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said in a postgame television interview of the quality of the victory. "We came out with the mentality that we are going to go out there and do everything we can to put ourselves in position to win the game." Orlando edged visiting Philadelphia 98-97 on Friday but nearly blew an 11-point lead with 1:49 to go, surviving a last-second missed 30-footer by the 76ers' Joel Embiid. "The end wasn't great but we can clean that up," Magic coach Steve Clifford told reporters afterward. "It's a good win against a good team."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (14-17): Young guard Markelle Fultz had 13 points and six assists against the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2017 and is continuing to display promise with Orlando. Fultz has scored in double digits in six straight games and has played between 26 and 30 minutes in each contest. "I'm in a great rhythm right now," Fultz told NBATV after the contest. "Part of it is my teammates and the coaching staff. I'm taking on the opportunity I'm getting right now and just taking full advantage of it. It's the most I've played in a long time and I'm having fun."

ABOUT THE BUCKS (28-5): Lopez matched his season high of 19 points and fellow veteran Ersan Ilyasova tied his season most of 18 points while collecting a season-high 17 rebounds as the two stepped up with strong efforts with Antetokounmpo sidelined. "I think he has fallen back into a good rhythm. His patience is one of his strengths," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said of Lopez before later stating, "We feel like we got starters coming off our bench and Ersan is one of them." Small forward Khris Middleton also had a stellar outing with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for his seventh 20-point effort of the month.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Bucks are 2-0 against the Magic this season and have won 11 of the past 15 meetings.

2. Milwaukee SG Wesley Matthews has averaged just two points over the past two games after averaging 16 over the previous two outings.

3. Orlando C Mo Bamba (ankle) sat out Friday's game, while F Al-Farouq Aminu (out for 13 games with a knee injury) had a setback and may require surgery.

PREDICTION: Bucks 109, Magic 96