It’s a rematch of the 2021 NBA finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns as the two team lock horns for the first time this regular season. The adjustment period for Doc Rivers as the new man in charge for Milwaukee is currently ongoing, we just saw his team blow a 19-point lead in a 123-108 loss at Utah over the weekend. The Bucks scored just 13 points in the 4th quarter and got outscored by 27 during the period, which is very uncharacteristic for a Giannis Antetokounmpo led team. On paper, the Suns are a much tougher opponent than the Jazz, however the Bucks have had the edge in head-to-head meetings winning 7 of the last 8 and covering the spread in 6 of those. There is concern Damian Lillard could miss this game, he is questionable with an ankle issue.
Phoenix comes back home after a 7-game road trip where they went 4-3 SU, winning 3 of their last 4 games. Bradley Beal had one of his best games of the season as he went for 43 points in Sunday’s 140-112 win over his former team the Wizards. The big 3 of the Suns has been clicking in January, they’re 10-3 SU over their last 13 games which isn’t quite as good as the Clippers, but still very much respectable. Coming into tonight’s game, the Suns will look to exploit the Bucks’ weaknesses in the paint – Milwaukee allows the 8th highest number of points per game from inside the paint. With the news of Brook Lopez potentially sitting out yet another game, that is really good news for the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Phoenix is 9-3 SU in their last 12 games vs Eastern Conference opponents.
