What were the key stats and moments from the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns?
Milwaukee Bucks 120, Phoenix Suns 100
Suns lead series 2-1
After two double-digit-margin losses, the Milwaukee Bucks finally drew blood in this championship series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo came away with another epic game. He finished Sunday evening with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. It’s only the third time in NBA Finals history that a player has had back-to-back 40-point, 10-rebound performances. He joins 2000 Shaquille O’Neal and 2016 LeBron James in that pantheon. Not for nothing, O’Neal and James won their respective series.
However, Giannis’ play hasn’t been in question the last three games. Instead, it has been a matter of if his teammates would step up and push the team over the finish line. They managed to do so on Sunday. Jrue Holiday followed up Giannis’ game with 21 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and a steal. He also knocked down a team-high five 3-pointers. Khris Middleton wasn’t the most efficient (6-of-14 from the field), but he still finished with 18 points. Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis chipped in 11 points each.
Phoenix, on the other hand, seemed a bit jarred by the new surroundings. Devin Booker had just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. It’s unfortunate because several of his teammates played pretty well. Chris Paul paced the team with 19 points and nine assists, Deandre Ayton had 18 points and nine rebounds, Jae Crowder went 6-of-7 from 3, and Cameron Johnson had 14 points off the bench. All of those solid outings were neutralized by their star’s offensive struggles. Things should be more competitive in Game 4 if Booker can find his form again.
The Suns also went 9-fo-31 from 3-point range a game after knocking down a scorching 20 triples. Milwaukee outscored Phoenix 42-27 from beyond the arc. This compounded with the Bucks’ 54-40 advantage in the paint and 20-2 margin on second chance points. The Bucks offense has improved with each game in this series. That will spell trouble for Phoenix if they fail to adjust in future games.
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