Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Win Over Phoenix Suns
By Reid Mueller
On the back end of a back-to-back, the Milwaukee Bucks went to Phoenix to get only their second win in their last 12 games.
The Milwaukee Bucks started strong on Saturday night in Phoenix. After the Suns took a quick 6-2 lead, Milwaukee settled in and took control of the quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo would physically impose himself on his opponents, finishing four dunks with power early on.
Behind great energy, the team had their best quarter in recent memory, taking a 45-25 point lead into the second quarter. They finished with 24 points in the paint.
The Bucks continued their hot shooting, hitting 71 percent of their shots at the seven minute mark in the second. Like many games for the Bucks of late, the lead would not hold, though. The second half of that quarter swung momentum heavily in the direction of Phoenix.
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The Bucks headed into halftime up just eight points. The Suns made their run behind some explosive shooting from Devin Booker. He pulled up in transition on back-to-back possessions, right in the face of the Bucks’ defenders.
Milwaukee played with solid energy throughout the first half, and yet the tempo led to a 74-66 game going into the third quarter. Also notably, Giannis finished the half with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
The third quarter was the most competitive period of the night. The Bucks played with intensity, looking to hold on to their lead. Jabari Parker brought the house down, with a tomahawk dunk on P.J. Tucker to extend the lead to 16.
The team would go into the fourth quarter ahead 101-89. After a grueling run of late, the Bucks were just a quarter away from heading back to Milwaukee without going win-less on their road trip.
They’d open the quarter on an 11-4 run, and never allowed the game to be in jeopardy from there. The Bucks would finish the night in the win column, with a final score of 137-112.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the night’s biggest takeaways.