Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks Pick – NBA, August 20, 2020

The Orlando Magic made the biggest surprise of the opening games of the NBA playoffs Round 1 as they defeated one of the biggest favorites to win the title – the Milwaukee Bucks. Not only did the Magic upset the Bucks, but they also did it without much trouble. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks must respond in Game 2, or the situation will be much worse for them. The Game 2 tip-off is set at 6 PM ET.

These conference foes have faced four times in the regular season, and the Bucks swept that series. It was expected they will sweep the Magic in the playoff series as well, but Nikola Vucevic and co. didn’t think so, and showed they can upset the odds. This is my Magic vs. Bucks betting preview for Game 2.

 Just like it was the case in the opening game of the series, the sportsbooks are completely convinced the Bucks will get a win in Game 2. They gave them a massive favorite tag with -12.5 spread, while the total is set at 227.5, same as in the previous tilt.

If you are not a fan of betting on the spread, winner, or total, you can check out some other markets and odds that all the leading online betting sites have to offer.

The Magic proved to all sports fans that miracles can happen, even though it’s only a Game 1 of the series. They managed to beat the heavy favorites Milwaukee Bucks, and perhaps gave us a clue what could happen in this year’s specific NBA playoffs – a lot of surprises. Steve Clifford’s team took an early lead and never looked back, not even in the third quarter in which the Bucks managed to cut the deficit to just one point. Orlando was better from the field, from beyond the arc, and was slightly ahead in every other segment.

Nikola Vucevic dominated with a double-double of 35 points and team-high 14 rebounds. Terrence Ross chipped in with 18 points and six boards, Markelle Fultz had 15 points and six assists, Gary Clark added 15 points and six rebounds, while D.J. Augustin posted a double-double of 11 points and game-high 11 dimes.

Vooch was getting buckets from everywhere in Game 1 see where in the @SASsoftware Shot Chart! pic.twitter.com/00yjkOrROB

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) August 19, 2020

Milwaukee played a similar game to the loss to the Brooklyn Nets here in the Orlando bubble. It seems that the Bucks underestimated the fighting Magic, who took this bubble and playoffs quite seriously. After all, it is played in their backyard. So, the Bucks struggled defensively and managed to keep the Magic under 30 points per quarter only once – when Orlando scored 29 in the second quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was usual self, to be fair, as he ended the game with a double-double of 31 points and game-high 17 rebounds, along with team-high seven assists. George Hill had 15 points and five dimes, Eric Bledsoe scored 15 with five assists, while Khris Middleton added 14 points and six boards. Fourteen points from Middleton wasn’t enough, and if the Bucks want to win Game 2, Khris must step up and be more helpful to Giannis on offense.

The Best of The Greek Freak in Game 1:

31 PTS | 17 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL pic.twitter.com/ewxhn8aC0Q

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 19, 2020

Pretty much all of the bettors were left empty-handed after Milwaukee’s surprising loss in Game 1, but I seriously doubt they stopped believing in Giannis and Mike Budenholzer. I am pretty sure they will back the Bucks again in this one, and that’s also my plan. Budenholzer is an excellent coach and he knows how to learn from his mistakes, so I expect Milwaukee to play completely differently here.

Middleton is going to bounce back and help Giannis on offense more than he did in G1. I am going with the Bucks to cover the spread. Follow our daily betting picks section for more tips from our dedicated writers.