January 12 (UPI) – Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon threw down one of the scariest slam forts of the season, with a fringe-rattling finish over Milwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Gordon’s slam came with 9:45 left in a 121-99 loss to the Bucks on Monday at the Amway Center in Orlando. Antetokounmpo had five fouls at the time of the scramble and could not have been too aggressive as a defender or he could have gone out.
“I knew they were going to shut me out hard,” Gordon told reporters. “And I knew. [Antetokounmpo] there were five frauds. I was just going with it. “
Orlando drew 88-84 when their ball was at the start of the series. Magician Gary Clark grabbed the ball down the right before going out to Gordon at the top of the key. Gordon sweated a ball on the Bucks guard Pat Connaughton before driving into the paint.
Antetokounmpo slipped into the series just before Gordon picked up his dribble. The Magic then put the ball in his right hand and boosted it into the ruling MVP before breaking the ball through the edge for a score.
The Bucks responded with a 22-2 run to knock the Magic down the piece.
Gordon scored 21 points and had eight assists in the loss. Nikola Vucevic scored 28 high points in the game and scored 13 replays for the Magic. Antetokounmpo stopped the Bucks with 22 points in the win.
The Magic take on the Boston Celtics at 7:30 pm EST Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston. The Bucks face the Detroit Pistons at 7pm EST Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.