The NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns continue on Wednesday with Game 4 in Milwaukee. The Bucks will be hoping to tie the series at two in front of their home crowd.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has dropped 40-plus points in back-to-back games and he looks set to shine again. Bookmaker Bovada has the odds at -120 for the Greek Freak to score at least 35 points in Game 4.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 13th, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
The two-time MVP had a tough start to the series when he struggled at the free-throw line, but it hasn’t done much to his confidence, and he’s produced outstanding numbers in the series overall by averaging 34.3 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Willis Reed (104), Allen Iverson (106) and Rick Barry (122) are the only players in NBA history to score more points in their first three career Finals games than Giannis (103).
He’s like a freight train on the court and the Suns will have a very tough time closing out the series if they can’t slow down Antetokounmpo.
Monty Williams’ team also has to worry about other threats. Khris Middleton put up a 15-point first half in Game 3’s 120-100 victory and Jrue Holiday, who had a slow start to the series, delivered a 21-point, nine-assist effort.
Holiday, who is a two-time All-Defensive First-Teamer, also has a key role in stopping Phoenix’s backcourt duo in Devin Booker and Chris Paul. They combined for only 29 points in Game 3.
Booker shot just 3-for-14 from the field in Game 3 and finished with 10 points, which marks by far the lowest output by him during this year’s playoffs. The Suns sniper should be very motivated to bounce back on Wednesday and a savvy veteran like Paul should also be able to turn things around quickly and play much better.
It took Paul 16 years to finally reach the NBA Finals and he’s played a huge part in Phoenix’s playoff run especially during the latter stages. The veteran point guard had a pretty rough start to the postseason averaging only 9.2 points and 7.7 assists in the first-round series against the Lakers, but he’s been leading the way for the Suns since then at both ends of the court.
A victory on Wednesday would give Phoenix a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and they should feel extremely confident as they head home for Game 5. It almost feels like an elimination game for the Bucks and the pressure on the team will be enormous. They will have to show what they are really made of.
