Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory when visiting Phoenix Suns
The Milwaukee Bucks will continue to let the good times roll when they visit the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night in search of their sixth straight victory.
Having improved to 16-8 following their 125-112 win over the Denver Nuggets last time out, the Bucks are obviously in the middle of playing their best basketball of the season. The timing of that couldn’t be better as they’re in the middle of their longest road trip so far this season and are now without Jrue Holiday for the time being.
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The Suns, meanwhile, will enter the night with a 14-9 record following their 119-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night, which marked their third straight victory.
Phoenix obviously made quite the splash by acquiring Chris Paul over the offseason and that move has made dividends as the Suns look to break their 10-year playoff appearance drought this season
So without further ado, let’s look at the three keys that will ensure a Milwaukee Bucks victory over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night.
First key to victory against Suns — Bucks stay hot from 3-point range
After getting off to a tough start shooting the ball on their current the road trip, the Bucks have bounced back shooting the ball, all of which continued against the Nuggets as they shot 16-for-40 from three.
That came with their most willing 3-point marksman, Khris Middleton, coming up empty on all five attempts from downtown. That certainly speaks to the help the Bucks have gotten from supporting pieces such as Donte DiVincenzo and Bryn Forbes in the starting lineup and Torrey Craig going a perfect 3-for-3 from deep in a revenge game against his former club.
Now they face a Suns team that is well suited in defending the perimeter. Not only do the Suns force the second-fewest 3-point attempts (31.6) to their opponents, their opponents are shooting 35 percent from three, the fifth-best mark in the NBA.
For a Bucks team that excels in creating and hitting 3-pointers from well beyond the arc, the Suns are allowing 33.7 percent to their opponents on attempts taken from above the break spots, per NBA.com/stats. All of this is critical to Phoenix’s defensive overall as they rank fifth in defensive efficiency so far this season.
Clearly, the Suns are equipped to defend well above the perimeter and they have rangy wings such as Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder that will equally see plenty of time guarding Middleton over the course of the night. Of course, the Bucks have the league-leading offense and it’s only getting better as the year goes along.
No matter how many times you look at it, it will be a fascinating standoff between these two units and to see who comes out on top as a result.