Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Game 4 Picks
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Game 4 Picks
NBA expert Jonathan Macri joins us to preview game 4 and provide his Suns vs Bucks prediction.
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Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction
It’s hard not to be excited over the prospect of the Bucks right now in Game 4.
Milwaukee just blew out a team that had previously been 14-4 in the postseason. It brings their home net rating in the playoffs to a positive 14.1, with eight wins in Wisconsin against just one loss. Their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, just became the second player in the last 20 seasons to have consecutive 40-point games in the Finals, joining LeBron James. He is now shooting 63 percent from the field against the Suns, and even more importantly, is making two out of every three free throws.
Maybe even more encouraging is that the Bucks dominated Phoenix without firing on all cylinders. Khris Middleton made just six field goals. They also still haven’t had the sort of truly explosive game from deep that we know they’re capable of.
On the flip side, the Suns are now starting to have the same issue it seemed like Milwaukee did over the first two games: they’re a player short. With Dario Saric’s injury, they now have no reliable backup to Deandre Ayton, who the Bucks got in foul trouble in Game 3. Since his dominant Game 1, Ayton is averaging just 14 and 10 and doesn’t look like the same impact player he’s been throughout much of the playoffs.
The Game 3 loss dropped the Suns’ road playoff net rating to a positive 2.6 – still good but concerning heading into Game 4. Devin Booker is now shooting under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from deep away from home in the postseason. It’s hard to see Phoenix winning this game without a huge performance from him.
This spread is small enough that the Suns could come back in a big way and still fall short of covering in the end. The bet is that’s exactly what happens.
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Bucks -4