Now, we got a series. The Milwaukee Bucks have finally won a game in the 2021 NBA Finals, cutting their series deficit against the Phoenix Suns in half. Will the Bucks tie it all up in Game 4? Or will the Suns move a step away from capturing the franchise’s first-ever NBA title? Check out our preview of this game below.
After flying high in the first two games of the 2021 NBA Finals, the Suns came back down to Earth hard after losing Game 3 on the road, 120-100. The sharp outside shooting they enjoyed in Game 2 was nowhere to be found the following game, with the Suns making just nine of 21 shots from deep. Devin Booker got shut down as he only had 10 points on 3/14 shooting. Phoenix is still in good shape and there’s really no reason for them to hit the panic button. Had Deandre Ayton managed his fouls better, Game 3 could have turned out differently. Ayton played just 24 minutes because of his five fouls but had 19 points on 8/14 shooting. With Ayton spending time on the bench, the Bucks were able to get their momentum going in the pain, where they outscored Phoenix by 14 points.
The Suns are 4-1 against the spread in their last five after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
In Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks trust. Antetokounmpo had his second 40-point game in the series, as he dropped 31 points on 14/23 shooting from the field and 13/17 shooting from the free-throw line in Game 3. Milwaukee also got better play from the pair of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, who scored 18 and 21 points, respectively. The Bucks had much success without Ayton on the floor, so expect them to keep attacking the Suns’ big man early to put him in foul trouble again. The Bucks scored 54 points in the paint while allowing just 40 in Game 3. They also won the rebounding battle, 47-36, including 13 offensive rebounds to just six by the Suns. The Bucks’ eyes lit up whenever Frank Kaminsky was on the floor. No longer winless in the series, the Bucks now have the momentum coming into Game 4. Antetokounmpo is a huge problem still for the Suns, and there are not many reasons to believe he’ll put up another monster effort on Wednesday night.
The Bucks are 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 home games against a team with a winning road record.
