The Milwaukee Bucks are still alive in these NBA Finals thanks to the titanic effort of a
Giannis Antetokounmpo again huge. The Greek player, who became a doubt for his great date with history, returned to get away with a tremendous game and led the beating by 120-100 that puts the 2-1 in the tie for the title. With 41 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists, the local idol raised the morale of his fans and his teammates, who in the third game did accompany him as the occasion requires.
The meeting was sentenced to the last quarter, a pure procedure after a flashing third quarter of some Bucks who knew how to answer the different attacks of the Suns. Phoenix stood up after going 15 down at halftime (60-45
) and he came to reduce the disadvantage to four points (74-70) after the half of the period, but Anteto followed his ball and scored practically all the baskets he had: 14 of 23 in field goals and 13 of 17 in free throws.
The appearance of Jrue Holiday with four triples in the third period it was key to permanently move away the rival. The point guard made one of his best games of these playoffs after having gone unnoticed in the other two games of the final. He led with comfort, pace and defensive sobriety, and finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. (7-13 TC; 5-10 3P).
Khris middleton, which went from more to less in the meeting, slightly improved his performance with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists (6-14 TC; 3-7 3P), although the Bucks did not require his services in the final stretch.
Phoenix lasted as long as Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul’s inspiration lasted in the first half. The pivot was the best of his team with 18 points and 9 rebounds in just 24 minutes of play, since it was loaded with fouls and Monty williams decided to resort to small-ball, a tactic that last night the visiting strategist was froggy.
Mike Budenholzer, that he is not moving too much token, he saw perhaps with some fortune like the accumulation of fouls it did play in his favor. PJ Tucker got loaded a couple of times and that caused Bobby Portis to break into the tie with 11 points, 8 rebounds and his inestimable dose of madness and intensity.
Pat connaughton, the sixth man by flag of this team, also recovered his best game with 8 points in 30 minutes marked by their mettle and their ability to do a lot with few opportunities. Rather, he is asked to defend himself and not to miss the open triples, something that he had not met until now.
Returning to the Suns, CP3 finished with 19 points and 9 assists, but its various high-carat details were more gallery-side than anything else. Jae Crowder added 18 points in an impressive but sterile series of 6 of 7 in triples in a game that showed the first cracks in the game of the whole of Arizona.
Devin Booker, to begin with, ran dry with 10 points and a poor 3 of 14 shooting from the field. (1-7 in triples). Then came Phoenix’s fourth-worst scorer in all NBA Finals, a second period in which they fit a tremendous 35-17 Opponent: The Suns haven’t scored fewer than 22 points in the remaining quarters of the tie against the Bucks.
Partial was the thing and Milwaukee found its answer in the third quarter to the good rival score. With a 16-0 to reach the last quarter left over (98-76), they completed their machado in the third game, a meeting that they needed as much as the rest of the NBA: there is a tie and there is emotion.
Anteto’s immeasurable talent, once again, once again left its mark on the main stage, where all the great stars of the NBA that preceded him have shone and where all the players, good and bad, dream of success.