NBA: Bucks hold off Magic in Paolo Banchero's return

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points and 14 rebounds, helping lead the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-106 win over the Orlando Magic.

Damian Lillard added 29 points, while Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton added 11 apiece off the bench, as the Bucks won their third straight.

In his first appearance since Oct. 30 due to an oblique injury, Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 34 points. Cole Anthony scored 18, while Tristan da Silva collected 16 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Black had 15 points off the bench, as the Magic lost their fourth game in six tries.

Orlando led by a point at halftime, and grew its advantage to 72-67 after Black's five straight points. After Antetokounmpo answered with a dunk, Black's layup gave the Magic a 74-69 edge with 2:42 left in the third.

da Silva's triple put the Magic ahead 77-70, before Milwaukee cut its deficit to three entering the final quarter.

Portis scored the first six points of the fourth for Milwaukee, swinging the lead back to the Bucks with 9:08 remaining. After Banchero's 3-pointer gave Orlando an 85-84 edge, Lillard scored Milwaukee's next eight points, including a triple that gave the Bucks a 92-87 lead at the 6:24 mark, forcing an Orlando timeout.

From there, Antetokounmpo made consecutive baskets to extend the Bucks' lead to 96-87 with 5:29 remaining. Trailing 102-95 after another Antetokounmpo basket, the Magic cut its deficit to three after Anthony and Banchero's baskets with 2:41 left.

Antetokounmpo's layup put Milwaukee ahead 104-99, but two free throws by Banchero trimmed the Bucks' lead to two with 1:20 remaining. Banchero then followed Brook Lopez's free throws with a 3-pointer, cutting Orlando's deficit to one with 23.7 seconds left. Lopez and Banchero each split a pair of free throws before Lillard iced the game with two foul shots with 5.7 seconds left.

After Taurean Prince and Lopez began the game with consecutive 3-pointers, Orlando answered with a 13-0 run, stamped with Banchero's triple -- his first points since his absence.

Antetokounmpo's layup trimmed Milwaukee's deficit to 15-14, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 3-pointer began a 7-0 Magic run. Later in the first quarter, the Bucks grabbed a 27-26 lead on Antetokounmpo's dunk before Orlando took a 31-29 advantage entering the second.

From there, da Silva's layup capped an 8-3 Magic run to take a 39-32 lead. Trailing by three, Milwaukee pulled within one at halftime after Lillard's buzzer-beating mid-range jumper.

--Field Level Media/ Reuters