- The Milwaukee Bucks are up 3-2 in the NBA Finals and have -180 odds to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks have a chance to close out the NBA Finals at home against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Bucks managed to pull ahead in the series 3-2 after being down 2-0, and now have a chance to make it four in a row to win the series in six games.
Game 5 was an intriguing affair, with all three of the Bucks stars - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton - having very good performances.
The Suns, on the other hand, struggled to get into the flow of their offense, with Devin Booker monopolizing the ball, which resulted in his second 40 point game in the Finals, but also in his second loss in a 40 point game in the Finals.
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 6 Moneyline
- Phoenix Suns +160
- Milwaukee Bucks -180
Booker shot 21 midrange two-point shots in the game, making only seven, and in doing so disrupted the flow of the Suns' offense. The Suns were a team that could easily generate three-point shots by driving and kicking, and moving the ball, but they found themselves falling into the isolation trap in Game 5.
Booker had a 43.1% usage rate in Game 5, and the Suns became the first team in the history of the Finals to lose a game while shooting 60% from three and 55% from the field, per StatMuse.
“I think we just got to figure out a way to generate more threes,” said Chris Paul, who has orchestrated the Phoenix offense all year. “If that’s penetrating — it doesn’t have to be me and Devin (Booker). That’s the way we have played all season long, is penetrating the gaps, finding [Mikal Bridges], [Cam Johnson], [Jae Crowder], all the different guys on our team for threes.”
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 6 Spread
- Phoenix Suns +4.5 (-110)
- Milwaukee Bucks -4.5 (-110)
The Suns have demonstrated an ability to beat the Bucks, winning the first two games of the series.
Their odds in this Game 6 are similar to their odds entering Game 3, up 2-0. The Bucks have a significant home-court advantage, but the series seems potentially evenly matched in terms of talent.
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Series Odds
- Phoenix Suns +300
- Milwaukee Bucks -400
Still, the fact that the Bucks are up 3-2 at home confers an inevitable advantage on the odds boards. The online sportsbooks give the Bucks -400 odds to win the series, even though they’re only -180 favorites to win this game.
The question for online gambling fans is whether or not Phoenix can get back to doing what they do best.
Failing that, the question becomes if they can defend well enough to make Booker’s iso plays relatively more damaging to the Bucks - two points matters a lot more when neither team is scoring.
Make no mistake, the Suns may be the underdogs, but they have routes to victory in this Game 6, and in this series as a whole.