Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns NBA Finals Game 2 Betting Preview/Player Prop
08 July 2021
Milwaukee came into the playoffs as the number three seed in the East, but they were still considered one of the top NBA title betting favorites. The Bucks got past the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Suns are a much tougher opponent.
Phoenix has lost just four games so far during this postseason run, and only two of them have been at home. The Suns won’t need to win a game on the road this series as long as they take care of business in Phoenix.
The Phoenix Suns are 5.5-point favorites over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Bucks Must Slow it Down
The Milwaukee Bucks led the NBA in scoring during the regular season with over 120 points per game. Milwaukee loves to push the tempo, but they need to find a way to slow down the pace on Thursday night.
Giving up 118 points is not going to work against the Suns, and Milwaukee must find a better way of controlling Chris Paul. The Bucks did shoot 44 percent from the three-point line in Game 1 and will need a similar shooting performance.
Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 29 points in the Game 1 loss, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to play through a knee injury. The Bucks need more scoring from its bench, but this is not a real deep team.
Paul Paving Way For Phoenix
Chris Paul has waited for an entire career to play in the postseason, and he put together a dominant performance in the series opener. Paul had 32 points and nine assists and really took the game over in the second half.
Deandre Ayton was also a star for Phoenix, scoring 19 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. This Suns team also has Devin Booker on the roster, one of the emerging stars of the league.
Phoenix was a great defensive team during the regular season, and that has carried over into the playoffs. The Suns will look to make things difficult for the Bucks once again on Thursday night.
Suns Too Hard to Stop
The Bucks just simply don’t know how to play anything but an uptempo style, and that is not going to work in this series. Milwaukee doesn’t have the depth to keep up with Phoenix, but they aren’t good enough defensively to win that way.
Phoenix has been a great team at home all season long, and the crowd will give them another big boost in Game 2 of the series. The Suns have been the best team so far in the NBA Playoffs, and they dominated the series opener.
This game should go the same way as Game 1, and it’s going to be another good night for the home team. Bet the Phoenix Suns -5.5 as they roll to another double-digit victory in this game.
Player Prop
Khris Middleton (-120) Over 25.5 Points
The Bucks made their first NBA Finals since 1974 not on the shoulders of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, but rather his sidekick Middleton. After Giannis went down midway through the 3rd quarter in Game 4, Middleton stepped up with 66 points on 23-of-48 shooting to help Milwaukee get past the Hawks in the conference finals.
The 29-year-old small forward was at his best in the deciding Game 6 as he scored 32 points, which included 16 straight for the Bucks during a key stretch of the 3rd period. It’s been part of a strong postseason run for the Texas A&M product as he’s averaged 23.7 points in 18 playoff games after averaging 20.4 points in the regular season.
Middleton’s strong production carried over into Game 1 of the Finals. Even with Giannis back in the lineup, he had a team-high 29 points that included five 3-pointers. The fact that Middleton didn’t attempt a singe free throw indicates he can be even more productive in Game 2.
With Milwaukee trying to avoid an 0-2 hole tonight, we’ll take Middleton (-120) to continue his high-scoring ways and go over 25.5 points.
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