Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from season series with Phoenix Suns
There’s very little time for the Milwaukee Bucks to rest on their laurels after making their long-awaited return back to the NBA Finals after 47 years.
After making it out of the Eastern Conference by defeating the Atlanta Hawks in six games, the Bucks have returned back to the Finals where they’ll get set to take on the Phoenix Suns, who came out of the West after defeating the L.A. Clippers.
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The Suns took both games against the Bucks by pulling out a 125-124 win on February 10 and a 127-126 overtime victory at Fiserv Forum back on April 19.
With the Suns having wrestled away the season series by a combined 2-point margin in both matchups during the regular season campaign, the Bucks know first-hand the significant test that awaits them, along with the stage and spotlight that comes with this special opportunity.
So without further ado, let’s jump into some of the biggest takeaways that emerged from the Milwaukee Bucks’ season series with the Phoenix Suns.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo feasted against Phoenix Suns
Make no mistake, some of Giannis Antetokounmpo greatest regular season performances this year came against the Suns.
The two-time MVP averaged 40 points while shooting 27-for-45 from the field (60 percent) and was 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Along with that, Antetokounmpo went 26-for-31 from the free throw line and the 83.9 percent Antetokounmpo shot on such a high volume of attempts from the foul line was the fourth-highest mark for him against an opponent this regular season.
As we saw from both battles against the Suns, Antetokounmpo had plenty of opportunities going at Deandre Ayton as the Suns largely sent little help towards Antetokounmpo’s way as he rampaged his way towards the rim. Per NBA.com/stats, Antetokounmpo scored 34 points on just 10-for-24 shooting from the field (41.7 percent), but went a perfect 14-for-14 from the line across 50.2 partial possessions. No player committed more shooting fouls on Antetokounmpo than Ayton this season.
Of course, we’ll see just how limited Antetokounmpo is going into the series after having suffered a left knee hyperextension in the Bucks’ series with the Hawks last round. Had that series gone to seven games, Antetokounmpo may have reportedly played in a theoretical Game 7.
Thankfully, the Bucks made sure we didn’t have to see the series go that long, but intrigue and speculation still surrounds Antetokounmpo’s status all the same.