5 reasons why Phoenix Suns lost 103-109 against Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of 2021 NBA Finals

#3 Chris Paul had an off game

Chris Paul #3 on the floor

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul put in one of the worst performances in the playoffs on Wednesday.

Chris Paul has 15 turnovers in his last 3 games. pic.twitter.com/XJeyNGQnkv

— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 15, 2021

After playing well in the first three games of the NBA Finals, Paul was a shell of himself in Game 4. The future Hall of Famer coughed up the ball five times and had a -10 plus/minus against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Paul scored just 10 points on a horrid 5-of-13 shooting, with seven assists and four rebounds.

#4 Milwaukee Bucks owned the painted area again

Brook Lopez #11 and Deandre Ayton #22 go up for the tip

The Phoenix Suns were scoring inside and were owning the glass through three quarters. However, a concerted effort from the Milwaukee Bucks in the last 12 minutes resulted in an 18-8 rebounding advantage for the home team.

Additionally, after both teams scored 34 points in the paint after the third period, the Phoenix Suns gave up 12 points in the shaded area in the fourth quarter. In a tight contest like this, with both teams scrambling for points, that spelled the difference in the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo accounted for five of those 18 rebounds as he exerted his dominance inside.

Deandre Ayton only had six points but was a beast on the glass with 17 rebounds. He had four of the Phoenix Suns’ eight boards in the final quarter.

#5 Phoenix Suns couldn’t stop Khris Middleton

Khris Middleton #22 looks to pass around Jae Crowder #99

Khris Middleton had his best game of the postseason on Wednesday, scoring a playoff career-high 40 points on 15-of-33 shooting to virtually match Booker’s sizzling performance.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward started out strong in the first quarter and poured gasoline on his game in the final period, scoring 10 straight points down the stretch.

Khris Middleton always steps up when it matters.G6 vs BKN: 38 PTS, 10 REB, 5 ASTG7 vs BKN: 23 PTS, 10 REB, 6 ASTG5 vs ATL: 26 PTS, 13 REB, 8 ASTG6 vs ATL: 32 PTS, 4 REB, 7 ASTG4 vs PHX: 40 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST pic.twitter.com/BcxDVccOqm

— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 15, 2021

Phoenix Suns forwards Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges were Middleton’s primary defenders. However, the Milwaukee Bucks’ All-Star shed them in pick-and-roll situations and converted on a bunch of mid-range shots.

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