The Milwaukee Bucks held the Orlando Magic to three first-quarter field goals en route to a double-digit lead, then rode Giannis Antetokounmpo's 28 points and game-high 20 rebounds to a 111-96 victory Thursday night near Orlando to even their best-of-seven playoff series at one game apiece.
Nikola Vucevic went for a game-high 32 points, but no other member of the Magic topped 12, as Milwaukee avenged a poor defensive effort in a 122-110 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Game 3 is slated for Saturday in the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
Orlando shot just 3-for-23 in the first 12 minutes and mixed in six turnovers, as the top-seeded Bucks established dominance early on and never allowed the eighth-seeded Magic back within arm's length.
Milwaukee led by as many as 23 in the third quarter, and Orlando only momentarily got within single digits in the second half.
The Magic gave the Bucks a brief scare with an eight-point run late in the contest to trim a 17-point deficit to 101-92 on a Markelle Fultz hoop with 3:55 to play.
But Antetokounmpo countered with a layup and a dunk, and the Bucks tightened the defensive screws again, limiting the Magic to just two more hoops the rest of the way.
En route to the 18th double-double of his postseason career, Antetokounmpo managed his team-high point total despite shooting just 10 of 23 overall and 1 of 5 on 3-pointers. He had 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in the Game 1 loss.
Brook Lopez chipped in with 20 points, while Pat Connaughton added 15, Eric Bledsoe had 13 to complement a game-high seven assists and Donte DiVincenzo 11 for the Bucks, who outshot the Magic 47.2 percent to 34.8.
Lopez connected on four of his eight 3-point shots, helping Milwaukee outscore Orlando 45-21 from beyond the arc.
Vucevic completed a double-double with 10 rebounds for the Magic, tying James Ennis for team-high honors.
Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross had 12 points apiece for Orlando, while Fultz finished with 11 and D.J. Augustin 10.
Orlando shot 49.4 percent in the Game 1 win.
--Field Level Media
