Suns @ Bucks Game 4: Back Suns to bounce back
With the Bucks claiming Game 3, will they even the series tonight, or go back to Phoenix down 3-1?
The Milwaukee Bucks proved they weren’t going to go down without a fight when they took Game 3 in Milwaukee Sunday evening.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with an astounding 41 points. What was even more impressive was him shooting 13-of-17 from the free throw line.
Jrue Holiday shot better, going 8-for-14 and 5-of-10 from deep. Khris Middleton didn’t play badly, but was nothing spectacular either, scoring 18 points.
The Suns were able to make it close a few times, but Milwaukee was able to do what the Suns had been doing throughout these playoffs, using a few key plays to stretch the lead and halt the other team’s momentum.
The Bucks were also able to shut down Devin Booker. Booker had been gaining momentum to challenge Chris Paul for Finals MVP if the Suns do indeed pull it off after a pair of impressive performances in the first two games, but that chatter has since quieted after scoring just 10 points in Game 3.
Mikal Bridges was also silenced. After a 27-point performance in Game 2, he was held to just four points in Game 3.
Like I had mentioned in Game 3’s preview, you can’t fake desperation. Milwaukee was desperate to get back in the series and played as such. On the other side, Phoenix played like they had a two-game lead, so really no surprise there.
With Milwaukee currently favored by 4.5 points, I like the Suns to get back on track tonight and plan on taking them to win outright at +165. The Bucks looked like the better team in Game 3, but that was due in large part to another dominant effort from Giannis, but Middleton nor Holiday were incredibly impressive.
Only getting a combined 14 points from Booker and Bridges, a duo that combined for 58 just the game before is unacceptable, and I don’t think you can bank on another lackluster performance from both players.
Since I’m in an unusually good mood today, I’m going to float you readers a couple of props for the night.
The first, as you could guess, is Deandre Ayton’s over 16.5 points. After his 10-point performance in Game 2, Ayton responded by scoring 16 points in just the first half in Game 3.
I also like Cameron Johnson over 1.5 3-pointers made. Johnson went viral in Game 3 for his dunk over P.J. Tucker, but it’s been Johnson’s reliable shooting off the bench that has caught my eye recently. He’s good for at least one or two corner 3-pointers a night. At plus money, I’ll gladly take this one.
