MIL 116, ORL 108: Suggs, Bane Both Feast for ORL
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse ยท Milwaukee Bucks fan
Bucks Roll Past Magic Behind a Bench Explosion Nobody Saw Coming
Look, I'm not gonna lie, I came into this one hyped because it's the Bucks. Home game, should be a win, but the way this team has been constructed? You never know who's actually going to show up. Turns out it wasn't Giannis. It was literally everyone else.
Milwaukee 116, Orlando 108. Not a blowout, but it felt like one because the Magic never had a chance after the first half. And the fantasy implications here are wild because this wasn't your typical "star player carries the load" situation. This was a bench guy making people who benched him look stupid.
Top Fantasy Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Suggs | 63.0 | 52.2 | 16/1/10 | 14.0/4.1/5.4 | +2.0 |
| Kevin Porter Jr. | 49.0 | 49.5 | 18/10/11 | 17.5/5.1/7.5 | +0.5 |
| Desmond Bane | 60.0 | 45.9 | 31/2/5 | 19.4/4.2/4.2 | +11.6 |
| Cam Thomas | 44.0 | 38.8 | 34/4/2 | 15.2/1.8/3.0 | +18.8 |
| Jericho Sims | 36.0 | 32.2 | 17/11/2 | 3.2/4.1/0.8 | +13.8 |
| Moritz Wagner | 36.0 | 30.0 | 12/5/4 | 9.0/3.1/0.3 | +3.0 |
| Myles Turner | 34.0 | 29.6 | 5/8/2 | 12.9/5.7/1.6 | -7.9 |
| Wendell Carter Jr. | 24.0 | 28.7 | 6/11/3 | 11.7/7.3/2.1 | -5.7 |
| Paolo Banchero | 18.0 | 24.8 | 17/4/2 | 21.4/8.5/4.9 | -4.4 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 16.0 | 23.4 | 15/7/2 | 12.8/5.0/2.6 | +2.2 |
The Kevin Porter Jr. Special
Kevin Porter Jr. was exactly what you want from your point guard. 18/10/11 on solid efficiency (5-14 FG but went 7-7 from the line), 38 minutes, and he basically ran the offense the entire game. That +3.5 assists versus his season average tells you everything, the guy was in full facilitator mode. 49.5 Yahoo points when he's averaging closer to 43-44 most nights.
Here's the thing though, this is sustainable because it's his role. KPJ is the engine for this team, and when the Bucks need him to run the show, he does it. Not a flash in the pan performance. This is who he is when he gets 38 minutes.
Cam Thomas Went NUCLEAR
Cam Thomas scored 34 points in 25 minutes. I'm gonna say that again because it needs to sink in. Thirty-four. Points. Twenty-five. Minutes.
+18.8 versus his season average is not a typo. The guy was shooting out of his mind, 12-20 FG, 6-6 from the line. This is the kind of night that either means he's found something in his game or he just had a personal revenge performance. Either way, if you have him, you rode it to a huge fantasy win tonight. If you're thinking about adding him off waiver, just know that nights like this don't happen every game. He's still averaging 15.2 PPG though, so he's a legitimate scoring option.
Jericho Sims Is the Waiver Wire Guy You Missed
Jericho Sims went 6-6 from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. That's 32.2 Yahoo points from a guy who normally averages 3.2 PPG.
This is where my orthopedics nurse brain kicks in. Sims hasn't been getting consistent minutes because the Bucks have better options at center, but when he gets run? He produces. The question is whether tonight was a matchup thing (Magic didn't have great rim defense) or if there's a real role here. My gut says this was 60% matchup, 40% opportunity. Don't go crazy adding him thinking he's unlocked a permanent role.
Desmond Bane's 31-Point Night Saved Orlando
Desmond Bane was the only Magic player who looked like he actually wanted to be there. 31 points on 11-17 shooting, 8 threes, went off for +11.6 versus his season average. If not for Bane's explosion, this is a total bloodbath. The problem is nobody else showed up. Paolo Banchero was -4.4 versus his average (17 points on 5-16 FG), Wendell Carter Jr. couldn't get anything going (6 points, 1-7 FG), and the Magic's offense just stalled.
This is one of those nights where a player has a monster game but his team still loses because he can't do it alone. Bane's talent is there (going 11-17 from the field is elite), but until the rest of Orlando's guys show up, these performances are going to feel hollow in the box score.
Jalen Suggs Ran the Show for Orlando
Jalen Suggs had a quality night on both ends, 16/1/10 with 4 steals in 34 minutes. For a point guard, that's solid production, especially the assist number which was +4.6 versus his season average. Nothing flashy, but he was efficient and got the role players involved. He's not going to win you weeks, but he's dependable in the mid-round range.
The Bucks Bench Went Off (And Giannis Didn't Play)
Here's the wild part. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play tonight. I don't have details on why (probably load management or a minor issue), but it explains why the Bucks went deep into their bench. Ousmane Dieng had 17 points on 6-10 shooting with 5 threes (20.6 Yahoo FP), and Moritz Wagner chipped in 12/5/4 in just 17 minutes.
Neither of these guys are standard fantasy producers, but they were available and got opportunity. That's the danger of sitting a star like Giannis, even if it's planned rest. The fantasy points get spread around, which is why KPJ and Cam Thomas both had massive nights. It's not that they're suddenly better than they were, it's that the entire offensive system shifted.
The Play
If you have bench depth and KPJ is available in your league, he's a lock for the hold. Steady production, high volume. Desmond Bane is a buy-low candidate if you can flip something for him, but Orlando needs to get their spacing figured out or he's going to keep having great individual nights in losses.
Don't overreact to Sims or Dieng. Opportunity performances are nice, but they don't last.
The bigger question is Giannis's status for the next game. If he was rested tonight, expect him back soon. If it's something real, that changes everything for the Bucks' ceiling. I'm watching the injury reports closely because an All-NBA guy being sidelined has massive ripple effects on everyone else's role.