GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO had 32 points and 20 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Orlando Magic 117-108 Saturday night to open a two-game set.

The teams will meet again tonight in Milwaukee.

Bobby Portis had a season-high 24 points along with 15 rebounds to help the Bucks win their third straight and improve to 9-8. They’re above .500 for the first time since they were 3-2 on Oct. 27.

“We’re getting better. We’re competing,” Antetokounmpo said.

R.J. Hampton had 19 points off the bench for the Magic. Jalen Suggs added 14, and Chuma Okeke and Mychal Mulder had 13 apiece. Orlando lost for the fifth time in six games to fall to an East-worst 4-13.

Orlando played without leading scorer Cole Anthony, who sat out after spraining his right ankle on the final play Friday night game against the Nets in Brooklyn.

The second-year player is averaging 19.6 points.

Milwaukee had an 18-2 run in the first quarter to set the tone.

“We made it hard on ourselves right out of the gate,” Mulder said.

The Bucks appeared to pull away for good early in the third when Antetokounmpo and Portis connected on back-to-back 3s. Antetokounmpo followed with a twisting layup, Portis made another 3, and Khris Middleton hit a jumper from the wing to give Milwaukee a 25-point edge. The Bucks would lead by as many as 29 in the quarter and held a 96-71 margin heading to the fourth before the Magic rallied.

“That group of theirs that finished the game got kind of hot and they stayed hot and they played well,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

(SD-Agencies)