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The Phoenix Suns overcame some early domination by the Milwaukee Bucks to win 118-108 in Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals on Thursday night. Monty Williams' men forced a quick turnaround to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Milwaukee Bucks rushed off to a nine-point lead in the first quarter with some aggressive play in the paint. They were able to prevent the Phoenix Suns from getting to their spots and forced them to settle for long-range shots.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the Suns were able to retaliate from downtown in the second quarter. Chris Paul and co. led by as many as 15 points at one stage during the game. They eventually went 20-of-40 from three-point range.
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The Milwaukee Bucks made their late run and were trailing by just five points in the fourth quarter, but the Phoenix Suns were able to see out the game. All five of their starters scored in double digits tonight. Without further ado, let's look at the five hits and flops from Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
#1 Hit: Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Devin Booker was extremely slow to start tonight's game. Milwaukee Bucks' defenders collapsed on him inside the paint and all of Booker's points in the first quarter came from the three-point line. He went just 4-of-12 from the field in the first half.
Booker turned up for the Phoenix Suns when it mattered the most, though. With the Bucks making their late run in the third quarter, he answered back for the Suns with multiple shots from pretty much everywhere on the court.
Devin Booker's clutch gene came to the fore in the fourth quarter with him draining three shots from downtown, despite defenders hounding him at all times. Booker led the Phoenix Suns in scoring tonight with 31 points tonight, 21 of which came in the second half. He also had six assists and five rebounds.
#2 Flop: Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Khris Middleton had a slow start again tonight, but unlike Game 1, he was unable to flick a switch to lead the charge for the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished with just 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field. Mikal Bridges gave Middleton a tough time but there were several easy looks which he failed to cash in on.
Khris Middleton was able to help the Milwaukee Bucks in other ways as he dished out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds. But his inability to score consistently gave the Phoenix Suns the definitive edge. He wasn't able to contain Booker late in the game, either.
#3 Hit: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Giannis Antetokounmpo took the Milwaukee Bucks across the finish line against the Phoenix Suns almost singlehandedly tonight. Giannis had a decent first half where he scored 12 points on efficient shooting from the field.
It was the third quarter, where the Greek Freak took over entirely. The Phoenix Suns had taken a 15-point lead, but Giannis scored 13 straight points to retaliate on behalf of the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored 20 points in this period overall.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his run in the fourth quarter and finished with 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting. He was dominant on the glass as well and had 12 rebounds. It didn't turn out to be enough for the Bucks, though.
#4 Flop: Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
Jrue Holiday had an improved outing from the field on Thursday night, but he's still not as good as he needs to be. Holiday scored 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting. He got his Milwaukee Bucks teammates involved with seven assists but failed to get going personally.
Holiday had two steals and two blocks to show for his efforts, but he wasn't truly able to clamp any of the Phoenix Suns players he was guarding. He forced Chris Paul into making some mistakes, but the latter still wound up scoring 23 points on 50% shooting.
#5 Hit: Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns)
Mikal Bridges arguably had the best performance of his career in Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals. He had the hot hand in the first half, especially from downtown. With Chris Paul and Devin Booker still finding their feet, Bridges scored a team-high 13 points during this period to give Phoenix Suns the control.
Mikal Bridges pestered the Milwaukee Bucks on both ends of the court. He played solid defense on Khris Middleton throughout the game. Bridges' three-point shooting cooled off in the second half, but he started cutting to the rim more often and got a few timely buckets to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Bridges eventually closed out the game for the Phoenix Suns from the free-throw line. He finished with a playoffs career-high 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting and also had seven rebounds.
Also read: 5 reasons why Milwaukee Bucks lost 108-118 against Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of 2021 NBA Finals
