3 things to watch in Milwaukee Bucks Finals rematch vs Phoenix Suns

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo’s unprecedented stretch continue?

The last time the Suns saw Mr. Giannis Antetokounmpo, he dropped 50 on them to win the championship. I’m sure they’ve thought a lot about that since it happened and what they can do to slow him down if they were to play each other again in the Finals.

Well, they’ll be able to test that out tonight and Antetokounmpo will certainly be feeling himself coming into tonight after his outrageous game against the L.A. Lakers earlier this week.

For as good as Deandre Ayton was against Antetokounmpo in the regular season last year (12-of-27 from the field but he did commit six shooting fouls), he eventually got figured out by the two-time MVP.

Antetokounmpo shot 34-of-67 against Ayton and drew 12 shooting fouls, going 18-of-23 at the line. He scored 88 points on 57 percent true shooting against the 2019 number one overall pick and really found his groove against him.

For as good of a defensive unit as the Suns are, they don’t have a player who can guard Antetokounmpo on their own. They do have multiple bodies to throw at him, whether it’s Ayton, Bridges, or Crowder, but we’ve seen Antetokounmpo dominate the Suns’ defense at the highest level.

In his last 20 games, so since he came back from COVID protocols, Antetokounmpo is averaging 32 points on 65 percent true shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists, and a block per game. He’s also shooting over 33 percent from 3 and nearly 77 percent from the free throw line in that stretch as well.

The Suns know how difficult he is to stop and with the way he’s playing right now, it doesn’t seem like anyone can at the moment.

Oh yeah, it’s also trade deadline day! Happy “end of wild trade rumor season until the offseason,” folks!