Suns in Game 3 loss vs Bucks

Suns in Game 3 loss vs Bucks

NBA

Suns in Game 3 loss vs Bucks

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The way the Greek Freak is going, the party might just be getting started.

Antetokounmpo had 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and the Bucks pounded Phoenix 120-100 on Sunday night, cutting the Suns’ lead to 2-1.

The first NBA Finals game in Milwaukee since 1974 went to the home team in a romp, with Antetokounmpo and the bigger Bucks overwhelming the smallish Suns to the tune of a 20-2 advantage in second-chance points.

Deandre Ayton got off to a quick start Sunday night then couldn’t do anything but watch as the Phoenix Suns were unable to take a stranglehold on the NBA Finals.

Ayton’s absence, however, showed just how big his presence on the floor is for the Suns.

He scored 16 points in the first 14 ½ minutes of Game 3 but picked up his fourth foul with 10:25 left in the third quarter and sat out the rest of the period. By the time he returned, the Bucks owned a 22-point lead en route to a 120-100 victory.

Phoenix still leads the finals, holding a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series with Game 4 Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

The Suns couldn’t overcome the combination of foul trouble for Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, and Booker shooting just 3 of 14 after scoring 27 in Game 1 and 31 in Game 2.

Ayton was dominant early and the Bucks had no answers for him. After scoring just 10 points in the Suns’ Game 2 victory Thursday, Phoenix was intent on making him a bigger factor Sunday.

He shot 6 of 7 in the first quarter. Ayton’s 16 quick points helped the Suns grab a 36-30 lead early in the second period. But he scored just two more points the rest of the game, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds in less than 25 minutes.

The Bucks pulled ahead for good by outscoring Phoenix 30-9 over the last nine minutes of the second quarter to grab a 60-45 halftime edge. And once Ayton picked up that fourth foul early in the third quarter, the Suns did some experimenting due to their lack of size.AP