As the Golden State Warriors turn their attention to the draft after a pair of losses in the Western Conference play-in tournament, Warriors Wire is looking around the association with the NBA Finals officially underway.
After the Bucks tied the series with back-to-back wins in Milwaukee, the Suns got off to a hot start in game five at home. Behind Devin Booker’s 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, the Suns jumped out to a 16 point advantage in the opening quarter. Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder each notched eight points as the Suns took a dominant lead.
However, the Bucks weren’t close to being done. Jrue Holiday dropped 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in the second quarter to cut into the Phoenix lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 21 points in the second quarter to help the Bucks steal the lead before halftime, 64-61.
After coming back from a 16 point deficit, the Bucks never looked back. Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the floor. Middleton and Holiday followed their former Most Valuable Player teammate with 29 and 27 points each.
For the Suns, Booker tallied 40 points on 17-of-33 shooting from the field in 42 minutes, but it wasn’t enough. Outside of Booker, the Suns had no answers for the Bucks’ big three.
With Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday combining for 88 points, the Bucks took the series lead with a win in game five, 123-119.
Watch highlights from game five via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQVD6ddpwco
The Buck are now just one victory away from being crowned NBA champions for the 2020-21 season.
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