By Adam Roberts – 7/19/2021
The challenge for the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night: go into a raucous Footprint Center and win on the road against a Suns team that had won two previous home games in the NBA Finals fairly decidedly.
The response from the Bucks: 32, 9, and 6 from Giannis, 29, 7, and 5 from Khris Middleton, and 27, 4, and 13 from Jrue Holiday. Also, Pat Connaughton had four big threes and a +10 plus/minus.
The highlight: A Holiday rip-away steal and subsequent and-1 lob to Giannis on the other end.
The result: A 123-119 Milwaukee win that puts them on the doorstep of their first championship since 1971.
It wasn’t easy to say the least; Phoenix was electric from long range shooting a whopping 68.4 percent from three. Devin Booker was also spectacular once again with another 40 point performance. But after Chris Paul made a layup to bring the game within one for the Suns, Booker had a chance to take the lead late and was immediately met by the Bucks defense, resulting in the critical turnover to Holiday.
So now the series moves back to Milwaukee, where another roaring Deer District and Fiserv Forum will hope to witness history. Coverage begins at 7pm tomorrow evening on ESPN La Crosse 105.5 and espnlacrosse.com!