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The 2021 NBA Finals switches over to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Sunday and down 2-0 in the series, the home Bucks have their backs against the wall and are trying to avoid slipping into the point of no-return.
The Milwaukee Bucks are no strangers to falling behind 2-0 in a series as they manage to overcome those same odds in their semifinal series versus Brooklyn just a few weeks back. Oddsmakers lean towards Milwaukee cooling down the Suns in Game 3 with the home squad opening as four-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. A win would require tremendous individual efforts across the board for Milwaukee players, so let’s take a look at some Game 3 DKSB player props for the Bucks for Sunday.
Milwaukee Bucks, Game 3 player props
Giannis Antetokounmpo O5.5 Assists (+120)
Even on a banged up knee, Antetokounmpo did a bulk of the heavy lifting for Milwaukee in their 118-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, delivering a gutsy 42 point, 12 rebound effort in 40 minutes of action. So much fell on his shoulders with Pat Connaughton being the only other Buck with at least 10 shot attempts to shoot over 40 percent from the field in the Game 2 defeat.
The two-time MVP has recorded just eight assists through the two Finals games and while he’ll continue to be aggressive in spite of his knee, one would imagine him trying to get teammates like Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday comfortable on offense in front of a friendly home crowd at Fiserv Forum.
Khris Middleton O24.5 Points (-115)
Speaking of Middleton, the No. 2 option for Milwaukee hasn’t been effective offensively in the Finals so far, averaging just 20 points on 40.5 percent shooting against the Suns. He was especially ineffective in Game 2 with just 11 points on 31.3 percent from the field, knocking down just one-of-three threes.
It’s quite the dropoff from him stepping up in Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta but his offensive production does go up when playing at home during these playoffs, averaging 24 points at Fiserv Forum versus 22.4 points on the road. With a few days to rest, expect Middleton to regain his footing on Sunday.
Jrue Holiday O5.5 Rebounds (+125)
Milwaukee has held a slight advantage on the boards so far this series with Giannis, Middleton, and Lopez all averaging at least 6.5 rebounds a game. Right behind them is Jrue Holiday, who had chipped in six a game through two games so far.
Holiday is averaging exactly 5.6 rebounds a game through the entire postseason and if Phoenix struggles to knock down shots on the road on Sunday, there will be ample opportunity for Holiday to clear his playoff average.
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