2021 NBA Finals Game 1 DifferenceMakers

What were the key stats and moments that led to the Phoenix Suns’ Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks?

Phoenix Suns 118, Milwaukee Bucks 105

Suns lead series 1-0

FINAL BOX SCORE

The return of Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t enough for the Milwaukee Bucks to take Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals. Instead, it was the Phoenix Suns, led by their veteran leader Chris Paul, clinching the victory in front of their raucous fans.

Giannis made his return to the Bucks lineup after missing the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Atlanta Hawks. He was sidelined after suffering an ugly hyperextended left knee in the third quarter of Game 5. The quartet of Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday stepped up in his absence and closed out the series.

Antetokounmpo did well in his first game back, not showing any lingering signs of his injury. He finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. However, he wasn’t the one to pace the Bucks in this game. Instead, it was Khris Middleton, who came away with 29 points, including a game-high five 3-pointers, seven rebounds, and four assists. Brook Lopez, who led the Bucks in scoring in Game 5 with 33 points, had 17 on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, that production wasn’t enough to give them the win. A 36-19 Suns run from late in the second quarter through late in the third gave Phoenix the arm’s length distance to cruise to the final buzzer. It was a big enough cushion to sustain a 24-11 Bucks rebuttal that got the game to within seven points midway through the fourth quarter.

Chris Paul picked up where he left off in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. He scored a game-high 32 points, including four triples. Paul also dished out nine assists. He and Devin Booker (27 points, six assists, three steals) got a bulk of their points from using Milwaukee’s size advantage against them.

Per NBA.com matchup data, 12 of the 28 points Chris Paul scored off of field goals came with Brook Lopez defending him. Five of them were against Bobby Portis. For Booker, he scored six of his 17 off of field goals against Lopez, but just two on Portis. This dynamic backcourt duo did a great job of drawing Milwaukee’s bigs out to the perimeter and then abusing them off the dribble. It’s a classic recipe that served Phoenix well in Game 1.

Deandre Ayton also delivered a strong game, finishing with 22 points and 19 rebounds. This was his fourth consecutive double-digit-rebound game. It was also his third in four where he grabbed more than 15. Though he came away with a single steal and did not block a shot, he still played a major role in Phoenix’s interior presence.

Per NBA.com defensive data, Ayton defended 26 field goal attempts, 18 of which were 2-pointers. Both figures are game highs. The Bucks converted on just 38.5 of their total attempts and 33.3 percent of their 2-pointers when facing Ayton in this game.

As a result, Phoenix narrowly outscored Milwaukee 44-42 in the paint. The Suns also found success in the mid-range, outscoring them 16-6 on non-key 2’s. Those are all quite the numbers considering that the Bucks had the size advantage. With Lopez, Portis, and Antetokounmpo all serving as hulking bodies in the rotation, it’s interesting that one big man on the opposing side found himself making more of an impact.

With Dario Saric suffering an injury early in the game, and Frank Kaminsky not being looked at as a reliable backup, Suns head coach Monty Williams is surely hoping that he will continue to get big defensive production from Ayton and the rest of the team. However, if Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer can make the proper adjustments, the Bucks are still capable of imposing their will in the interior in Game 2.