Suns-Bucks 131-107: Phoenix levels Milwaukee with Paul

The Suns are currently the best team in the NBA. This would hold true even if they lost to the Bucks as they would still have the best record in the league. They certainly showed that in the game against Milwaukee because they played great basketball and won comfortably 131-107.

When last year’s finalists from the NBA Finals met, the Suns looked more prepared, more focused, more hungry. They beat Milwaukee mercilessly with the terrible movement of their ball, furiously attacked the “Painted” (68 points) and closed the corridors in defense to comfortably achieve victory. The defeat hurt the Bucks. However, the news of Pat Conaton, who was injured during the game and retired, hurt her even more, with the initial diagnosis speaking of a fracture in his right arm.

John Antitokunbo saw the phoenix build a wall in front of him and saw that at one point the suns even had a form as he simultaneously used DiaDreon Eaton and Javelin McGee to stop him. Result; One of his worst performances this year as he stayed at 18 points with 5/14 shots (0/3 three points), 8/14 shots, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal in 30 minutes of attendance.

Chris Paul was the mastermind of the Suns win with 17 points and 19 assists, on a night when DiAndre Eaton was the one who got the most of them, and finished the game with 27 points with Mikal Bridges adding 18 points.

With the Bucks, Jru Holliday and Chris Middleton each had 21 points and Bobby Portis had 11 points.

Now the Suns are 45-10 (23-5 home and 22-5 a) and the Bucks are 35-22 (19-9 home and 16-13 a). Next game for the Bucks in the early hours of Tuesday (2/15) at 3:00 am with the Blazers at the Fiserv Forum. This is the first of six straight home games that will see the Pacers, Sixers, Nets, Hornets and Heat travel to Milwaukee.

The race

The game started with the teams answering each other one at a time. Somehow Phoenix escaped 6-0 and the Bucks reduced to 6-5 and then the Suns escaped 11-5 and the Bucks responded with a series of 8-0 to lead 11-14.

But that was just the start in the highly competitive first twelve minutes that had a total of 5 draws and 11(!) changes in scoring until the Bucks finally led Holiday 31-34 into the second third with 12 points and Giannis 5 points and 5 rebounds.

The second period started with the Bucks going 31-37. However, the Suns responded with a series of 8-0 for 39-37. Since then, the two teams have kept up the points ranking for a long time, without either of them being able to get more than 3 points away. But that changed in the last two minutes.

At 56:54, the Suns suddenly increased the tempo and increased the gap to 10 points with a series of 8:0 (64:54), Milwaukee finally reduced it to 64 with a basket from Giannis (10 points in the first half). -56 at the end of the second third.

At the start of the second half, both teams initially struggled to score. A few minutes later, however, Milwaukee suddenly took shape and, thanks to a partial score of 13:4, shot the deficit to 17 points (80:63), while a little later he sent it to 19 points (85:66). John then attempted to get the Bucks in the game by either scoring or taking free kicks for his teammates, with Milwaukee reducing to 91-77.

At that point, however, John was (correctly) accused of a flagrant 1-foul for accidentally elbowing Ismael Wainwright’s jaw. That would throw the Bucks off a bit, as Phoenix ended the third period on a 6-0 run and walked away 97-77. The game had run its course.

In the fourth half, the Suns were in complete control of the game, with Antetokunbo breathing on the bench to ease things up. The hosts just kept playing their own basketball, hitting every miss and eventually escaping 108-82 with Milwaukee seemingly powerless to respond. Game over now, the Bucks emptied their bench early and Phoenix just comfortably held the difference.

THE TWELVE MINUTES: 31-34, 64-56, 97-77, 131-107

PHOENIX SUNS (Monty Williams): Crowder 10 (3/11 shots, 2/9 three points, 8 rebounds), Bridges 18 (2), Eaton 27 (12/14 two points, 7 rebounds), Paul 17 (7 rebounds, 19 assists ). ), Booker 17 (6/19 shots, 2/8 3-pointers, 7 assists), Wainwright 1, Johnson 15 (3 3-pointers, 8 rebounds), McGee 12, Bigombo 9, Peyton 5

MILGUOKI BUKS (Mike Budenholzer): G. Antetokunbo 18 (5/14 shots, 8/14 shots, 7 rebounds, 8 assists), Middleton 21 (1/6 3-pointers), Portis 11 (1/5 3-pointers, 9 rebounds ). ), Holiday 21 (3 3-pointers, 5 rebounds), Allen 8 (2), Matthews 3 (1), Conaton 3 (1/7 3-pointers), Mamukelasville, Nuora 2 (1/7 shots), Monroe 9 (6 rebounds), Wiggitt 5 (1), Th. Antetokunbo 6

Phoenix Suns team stats: 42/60 two points, 9/30 three points, 20/29 shots, 43 rebounds, 35 assists, 10 steals, 2 blocks, 8 errors

Milwaukee Bucks team stats: 30/50 two points, 10/38 three points, 17/25 shots, 39 rebounds, 18 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks, 14 errors