NBA: Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Phoenix Suns head for Wisconsin, where they face the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum. These two sides are in pursuit of first place in their respective conferences, with the not that at the moment, the Suns have slightly better chances of fulfilling their goal than the Bucks. However, if Monty Williams’ crew loses tonight, their prospects of snatching that No.1 place will decrease. Both teams come into this event following losses (unexpected, we might add) and hope to bounce back.

Preview

Phoenix Suns (40-16, +140) suffered a defeat in the last of five consecutive games at home, against the San Antonio Spurs, 111-85. Previously, the franchise from Arizona had four wins in a row, beating the Wizards, Rockets, Heat, and the Kings.

They were outplayed against the guests from San Antonio, mostly due to one of arguably worst offensive performances since the beginning of the campaign. The Suns shot 40% from the field, hitting six threes in 27 attempts. The score at halftime was 67-45 for the guests who had a 31-point advantage at one moment.

Devin Booker scored just 15 points, 6-for-18 from the field, Jevon Carter had 17 and Cameron Payne 12, both off the bench. Phoenix’s starting lineup delivered 38 points, which is probably the lowest productivity this year. We need to add that the Suns begin a five-game tour through the East, having to face all the elite teams – Bucks, 76ers, Celtics, Nets, and the Knicks.

Milwaukee Bucks (35-21, -160) had three wins on the road, against the Magic, Timberwolves, and the Hawks, but surprisingly suffered a failure against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. The final result of that game was 128-115 for the boys from Tennessee.

This was one of the rare games in which we saw the Bucks helpless to make any push, as they sat behind since the middle of the first quarter. Memphis constantly had a double-digit lead, and despite all the efforts coming from Giannis and the boys, the guests routinely closed this event.

Antotekounmpo was two assists short of a triple-double with 28 points, 11 boards, and 8 assists. Bryn Forbes had 19 with six boards, while Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday added 17 each, dropping seven threes combined in 14 attempts. Khris Middleton dropped 16 points and 10 assists. Bucks bench failed to show up, scoring just 18 points in this event.

Head to Head Games

This is going to be the second match this year between these two sides. Phoenix minimally won in the first, 125-124, despite being 16 points behind during the same. Booker scored 30 for the hosts, and Chris Paul added 28. On the other side, Giannis was monstrous with 47 buckets, 11 boards, and five assists.

Prediction

The Suns are good, but the Bucks are going to win this match. They play at home, and it is hard to imagine seeing them lose twice in a row at Fiserv at this time of the year. Plus, a narrow loss from the first match will be a huge motive for Milwaukee. Mike Budenholzer’s team is finally at home following a nasty stretch that saw them traveling all over the country, so they shouldn’t be tired as before. All in all, we can’t go against the Bucks at home.

Pick: Bucks win