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The Phoenix Suns picked up a big win in Game 1 behind 32 points from PG Chris Paul to take a 1-0 lead in the 2021 NBA Finals over the Milwaukee Bucks. There were more question marks heading into Tuesday night with the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo all over the place. The Greek Freak went from doubtful Monday night, to questionable in the afternoon Tuesday, to a game-time call and then deemed fit to play all in less than 24 hours.
While Giannis looked good in his return to the lineup, the Bucks struggled defensively and took too many fouls. Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes. So Milwaukee is in danger of falling behind 2-0 heading back home in the Finals.
2021 NBA Finals Suns vs. Bucks Game 2 odds
Spread: Suns -5.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 220.5
Moneyline: MIL +185, PHX -225
These lines are pretty similar to Game 1 and the lack of movement even with Giannis coming back suggests things shouldn’t change much from now until Thursday. The O/U went up after opening at 217 in Game 1. The under may be the trendy pick here with the Bucks needing to tighten things up on defense. The Suns hit 25-of-26 free throws in Game 1 and CP3 shot the lights out. If there’s some regression there, the game should be closer/lower scoring.
This feels like a gut-check type of game for the Bucks. If you think they can hang in the series, catching Milwaukee on the ML and getting 5.5 points again seems like the play. Giannis looked fine. Now, there’s a chance he could end up questionable again for Game 2 and potentially ruled out, but that seems unlikely given the magnitude of this game.
Here’s a first look at betting splits for Game 2 via DKSB:
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