Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points, and Damian Lillard added nine of his 28 in the final minute, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 114-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, securing a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
The Bucks, the only team returning from last year’s semifinals, will face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Jalen Suggs led a shorthanded Orlando squad with 32 points but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left. Lillard was fouled and sank two free throws with 9.1 seconds remaining, while Suggs missed another 3-pointer to tie the game.
Antetokounmpo then made both free throws with 5 seconds left, and the Bucks held on.
The Magic were missing forwards Paolo Banchero (torn right oblique), Jonathan Isaac (right hamstring strain), and Franz Wagner, who suffered a torn right oblique on Friday against Philadelphia, along with guard Gary Harris (left hamstring strain).
Magic: Orlando’s bench scored 28 points in the first half, including 13 from Moritz Wagner and 10 from Anthony Black. However, Wagner did not score in the second half.
Bucks: Bobby Portis helped the Bucks erase an early 11-point deficit by hitting his first seven shots and scoring 16 points in the first half. He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks forward Khris Middleton registered three consecutive assists – the first two on passes to Antetokounmpo and the third to set up a 3-pointer by Gary Trent Jr. – as the Bucks took a 78-70 lead as part of an 11-0 Milwaukee run. Middleton did not score but had eight assists.
Antetokounmpo extended his streak to 22 straight games with 20 or more points on 50% shooting, the longest streak to open a season in league history and the third-longest at any point in a season (Shaquille O’Neal and Zion Williamson, both 25 games). Antetokounmpo was 15 of 24 from the field.
The Magic will play New York or Atlanta on Sunday.