Magic stun Bucks in Game 1; Heat, Rockets take series leads

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The Orlando Magic upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first game of their first-round playoff series Tuesday inside the league's fan-free bubble in Orlando, Fla.

Nikola Vucevic notched a playoff career-best 35 points and had 14 rebounds to help the Magic top Milwaukee 122-110, putting an early dent in the Bucks' hopes of winning their first NBA championship since 1971. Milwaukee came into the postseason as the favorites to win the title.

Terrence Ross scored 18 points, while Gary Clark and Markelle Fultz each added 15 for the eighth-seeded Magic, who were 14-point underdogs. D.J. Augustin had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists.

"We don't care what other people have to say," Vucevic said. "We focus on ourselves and we came out and played a great game on both ends of the floor. ... You have to really be ready for what they do. Especially us against a team like Milwaukee where we have to make sure we know their stuff and we are prepared for everything.

"Tonight, we definitely were on top of that. We did a good job executing the game plan."

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks. He was held without a field goal over the last 11 minutes of the game.

"There's no magic wand to point and things are going to change," Antetokounmpo said. "You've got to come out, play hard, play even harder, play together and have fun."

Bucks guard George Hill had 16 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Eric Bledsoe had 15 points, and Khris Middleton had 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat topped the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to grab 1-0 series leads.

The Rockets, playing without star guard Russell Westbrook, beat the Thunder 123-108 behind James Harden's 37 points and 11 rebounds.

The Heat used a 28-point outing from Jimmy Butler to edge the Pacers 113-101. Goran Dragic had 24 points, while Bam Adebayo recorded 17 points and 10 boards.