What Happened Last Night: NBA Finals Game 3

Booker (1) struggled with poor shooting woes in Game 3 due to suffocating Bucks’ defense. (Michael Chow/ The Republic) 

The Milwaukee Bucks have responded. 

On the shoulders of their two-time MVP, the Milwaukee Bucks responded to being down 2-0 in the NBA Finals by blowing out the Phoenix Suns by 20 points in Game 3 at home. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the charge with 41 points on 23 shots attempted coupled with shooting 13/17 from the free-throw line seemingly exercising his demons from the line that plagued him earlier in these playoffs. Co-stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday finally contributed in a meaningful way adding 39 points together along with stellar performances on the defensive end and when given playmaking duties, piling up assists and rebounds.

PJ Tucker (17) was shocked after a foul call did not go his way during a Suns’ run in the third quarter. (via ESPN)

The first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals had a different tone than any half in this series thus far. The Bucks played with the effort and ability of a team with their backs’ against the wall. Coming into the game many people pondered what the move would be to turn the momentum in this series in the Bucks’ favor. The change in the first half appeared to be letting Middleton handle the ball in pick-and-roll situations, allowing Bucks’ Antetokounmpo to flourish in the rolling spot in those plays. This facilitated Antetokounmpo to not have to make the playmaking decision that is crucial in the pick-and-roll and to focus on finding open spaces to drive to the basket while the defense was preoccupied with Middleton as the ball handler, leading to easy dunks and a defense worried about two things at the same time due to Middleton’s ability to make shots leading to 15 points by halftime. 

While the Bucks did not start with a roar in the first quarter, being down three points at the end of the first quarter gave them the confidence in the second quarter to explode for 35 points, including ending the quarter on a 10-0 run and an extended run during the quarter of 20-6 leading to a 15 point lead at halftime. 

Suns’ stars Devin Booker and Chris Paul did not help too much in the first half scoring a combined 17 points. Booker, in particular shot a measly two for 11 and one for six from the three-point line. 

While there was lots of blame to be thrown around at halftime, one bright spot for the Suns in the first half was center DeAndre Ayton scoring 16 points and only missing two shot attempts for the half. Scoring was aplenty for the 22-year-old star. He seemed to get lost on defense when the Bucks deployed lineups with all shooters or Antetokounmpo at the center position, garnering three fouls during the first half. Down 15 after the halftime buzzer sounded, it would seem to be an uphill climb for the Suns in the second half.

Coming out of halftime the Suns appeared to be primed to make Game 3 interesting. Ayton picked up his fourth foul to begin the second forcing the Suns to play a small lineup with the tallest player on the court being Jae Crowder standing at six-foot-six and changing the Suns’ base defense to a zone-based scheme. This would provide instant results for the Suns as they would close the gap to four points during the third quarter behind Cam Johnson’s 10 third-quarter points, attempting and succeeding to hunt the bigger, slower-moving members of the Bucks such as Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis. 

Antetokounmpo (34) asserted his dominance on both sides of the court on his way to 41 points on the night. (Michael Chow/ The Republic)

This success would be short-lived as Antetokounmpo decided to dominate due to the Suns’ lack of size and their zone defense which can be victimized by good rebounding. 

The Bucks would go on to close the third quarter with a 16-0 run with Antetokounmpo setting the tone with great defense and aggressiveness on the offensive side of the court leading to second-chance points and open shots for teammates such as Jrue Holiday who rewarded the Bucks’ continued faith and hit three three-point shots during this period. 

The bulk of the run also occurred when Paul was getting a rest on the bench, with the Bucks clearly understanding their time to attack without the Suns’ leader on the court. Antetokounmpo also eliminated some concerns about his free throw shooting during this quarter hitting six free throws in a row and answering every defensive look the Suns threw at him. 

The Bucks with their run ended the quarter with a 22 point lead.

The Suns’ Paul and Crowder put in good shifts, but it was not enough to stop the Bucks who had an answer for every Suns’ run. (Michael Chow/The Republic)

Along with Antetokounmpo dominating at both ends of the court, Booker seemed to shrink as the lead mounted shooting 3/14 halfway through the fourth quarter with a meager 10 points. While Paul and Crowder’s shooting was close to impeccable, the lack of cohesiveness and lack of shooting led to the Suns committing 14 turnovers and only hitting nine of their 31 three-point attempts. 

Suns’ coach Monty Williams would also not play Booker for most of the fourth quarter due to a large lead, his poor shooting and seemingly getting him some rest, with Paul and Crowder joining him at the 4:52 mark in the fourth quarter. 

The Bucks would go on to win by 20 as this game was a complete performance by the Bucks. Flowers to Bucks’ coach Mike Budenholzer for making correct adjustments and pushing the right buttons for the entire game. When his larger players were being victimized by the Suns’ smaller lineup, he made the key decision to play Antetokounmpo at the center position and surround him with shooters leading to the Bucks’ incredible end to the third quarter. The Suns will say their shooting woes, turnovers and Ayton’s foul trouble led to their demise in a game that seemed close at times, yet got away late from them.