Early look at Suns vs. Bucks Game 1 odds for 2021 NBA Finals

The 2021 NBA Finals will feature two teams fighting for the Larry O’Brien trophy, something one team has never sniffed and the other having not won in a while. The Phoenix Suns will host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. The Bucks took down the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night to win the Eastern Conference Finals in six games, while the Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night to win the West Finals in six games.

Now that the Finals matchup is set, we’ve got odds on DraftKings Sportsbook for Game 1 on Tuesday. Let’s take a first look at give some initial thoughts.

2021 NBA Finals Suns vs. Bucks Game 1 odds

Spread: Suns -6 (-114)
Over/Under: 219
Moneyline: MIL +205, PHX -250

Update, July 6th — So it’s game day and there’s been a bit of movement with the Giannis news. He’s listed as doubtful, so it appears Antetokounmpo won’t play in Game 1 on Tuesday night. The line went from -6 for the Suns to -5.5 and back to -6 since opening. The O/U has moved up 2.0 points from 217 over the course of the past few days. Giannis being out has impacted the point total the most. The Suns continue to move up on the moneyline and are pretty heavy favorites for an NBA Finals game.

Update, July 5th — The lines for Game 1 haven’t shifted too much since opening on Saturday night. Over the course of Sunday, the line has moved 0.5 point and the ML has shifted a bit. Chances are we’re still waiting for Giannis news to drop and after that happens, we’ll see a bigger lean toward the Suns on the spread and ML. Milwaukee won’t be a bad underdog bet in Game 1. There’s a chance this series is competitive without Giannis in there for the Bucks. So if you think this game will be close, there’s plenty of value in Bucks +5.5 and at nearly +200 on the ML.

We should expect a bit of movement from now until Tuesday. The status of Giannis Antetokounmpo is still up in the air. The Greek Freak has a hyperextended knee and there’s a chance he could get back in the lineup for Game 1. Giannis missed the last two games of the East Finals, both wins for Milwaukee. On the road against a healthy Suns squad, this line makes sense. Even if Antetokounmpo is ruled out, the Bucks should be competitive, as displayed in Games 5 and 6 last series.

Overall, in the 2021 playoffs, the Suns are 6-2 at home. If Giannis is out, this is a pretty great matchup for Phoenix down low with Deandre Ayton against Brook Lopez. The Suns have the perimeter defenders to handle Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Expect Game 1 to be low scoring if Giannis is held out. The only path for the Bucks to win Game 1 would be if Middleton or Holiday has a big game and Milwaukee clamps down on Devin Booker on defense. That may be wishful thinking though. Adrenaline could take over for Book and Chris Paul in his first Finals game.

Here are some early betting split for Game 1 courtesy of DKSB. These were last updated on Monday night.

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