The Phoenix Suns drew first blood in the 2021 NBA Finals, as they dealt the Milwaukee Bucks a loss in Game 1. Will the Bucks prevent falling down a 2-0 hole? Or will the Suns keep the spirit of “Suns in Four” alive with another victory at home? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Bucks got soundly beaten in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals, as they took a 118-105 road loss at the hands of Chris Paul and company. Khris Middleton led the way for the Bucks with 20 points on 12/26 shooting from the field, while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 points in his first game since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A big takeaway from this game for the Bucks is that Giannis looked fine. He even had 17 rebounds and was the only starter who finished the game with a positive plus/minus. Another full day of rest could really get Giannis going, and that’s bad news for the Suns. A more aggressive Antetokounmpo could go a long way for Milwaukee, which only had 16 FT attempts, way fewer than Phoenix’s 26. The Bucks went 16/36 from behind the arc, so that’s something they could build on going forward in the series.
The Bucks are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games after an ATS loss.
Chris Paul went off for 32 points on 12/19 shooting from the floor in Game 1. He also had nine assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes. He surely had made it clear from that performance that he’s fully locked on in his desire to finally win an NBA title. The Bucks struggled to contain Paul, whose shooting was in top form. As long as Paul is having his way on offense, things will open up for the Suns, who also got 27 points from Devin Booker and 22 points from Deandre Ayton. The Suns’ big man pulled down 19 rebounds and helped bottle up Milwaukee’s vaunted inside attack. The Bucks scored just 42 points, while Phoenix made 44 points in the shaded area. Expect the Suns to keep attacking Milwaukee’s interior defense after the success they had in the series opener.
The Suns are 6-0-1 against the spread in their last seven games following a win of more than 10 points.
