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Bucks

Khris Middleton scored 20 of his playoff career high-tying 38 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night for a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
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Khris Middleton was FANTASTIC, tying his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> career-high in the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> Game 3 win 🔥 38 PTS (20 in 4Q) 11 REB 7 AST 57.7 FPTS TOUGH. <a href="https://t.co/x25DsRSy5W">pic.twitter.com/x25DsRSy5W</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1409346639525990404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Trae Young scored 35 points for Atlanta but was slowed in the final period after injuring his right ankle after stepping on an official&rsquo;s foot late in the third.
Middleton then scored 10 points in a 13-3 run in the fourth that gave Milwaukee the lead.
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LOGO. TRAE. 👀 <a href="https://t.co/tzl76nd1cF">pic.twitter.com/tzl76nd1cF</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1409323422987939842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points for the Bucks, who trailed most of the game before surging in the fourth quarter. Atlanta led 95-88 before Middleton made his first of three 3-pointers during the 13-3 run for a 103-98 lead.
After never leading in a 125-91 Game 2 loss, the Hawks were eager for a better start in their first home game of the series. Turnovers by Middleton and Antetokounmpo led to dunks by Clint Capela, and Kevin Huerter added a 3-pointer for a 7-0 lead.
The Hawks stretched the advantage to 13 points. Antetokounmpo was held to five first-quarter points but regained his scoring form in the second period. He had 11 points in the period as the Bucks finally pulled even at 56-all on a 3-pointer by Pat Connaughton with 12 seconds remaining in the half.
The Bucks took their first lead at 82-80 on a basket by Bobby Portis Jr. with 1:47 remaining in the third. A 3-pointer by Danilo Gallinari gave Atlanta an 85-83 lead at the end of the period.
Middleton opened the final period by sinking a 3 that signaled the start of his big period. He went on to outscore the Hawks, who had 17 points, by himself.
Hawks fans followed the recent trend of opposing fans counting Antetokounmpo's time at the free throw line, usually counting past 10 before he launched an attempt.
Fans cheered when he missed each of his first two free throws in the first quarter. He threw an airball from the line in the second period, again earning cheers from the sellout crowd.
Antetokounmpo was only 6 of 13 for the game.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Antetokounmpo was on the injury report as probable with left calf tightness but did not appear to be affected by the injury. He had 11 rebounds. ... Portis scored 15 points.
Hawks: Young remained seated on the court for a few seconds after his ankle injury before heading to the locker room. He returned with 8:44 remaining in the game. ... F Cam Reddish was available but did not play after scoring 11 points in Game 2 in his return from an Achilles tendon injury. It was his first action since Feb. 21. Coach Nate McMillan said he was not yet ready to move Reddish into a more prominent role.

Khris Middleton scored 20 of his playoff career-high-tying 38 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Bucks to a 113-102 victory over the Hawks.

Khris Middleton's 38 powers Bucks past Hawks 113-102 for 2-1 lead

Khris Middleton will enter the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. It is unclear if he was a close contact or tested positive for COVID-19, or how long he will be out for.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_nehm/status/1455292522322923528?s=20">Eric Nehm/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Middleton's unfortunate entry into the health and safety protocols is yet another hiccup for the Bucks in this early NBA season, as he joins key contributors in Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Donte DiVincenzo on the active list.
The Bucks can only hope for a swift and healthy recovery and that Giannis Antetokounmpo can shore things up in the meanwhile.

Khris Middleton will enter the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. It is unclear if he was a close contact or tested positive for COVID-19, or how long he will be out for.

Khris Middleton enters NBA's health and safety protocols

Milwaukee Bucks two-way standout Khris Middleton has committed to Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, reports <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1407366673687060482" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.</a>
It's been some ascent for the former 2012 second round draftee as of late &ndash; first by earning back-to-back All-Star appearances and now the Team USA invite. Middleton has averaged 20.4 points and 5.4 assists on 47.6 percent shooting in 2020-21, and his reliable defense is a huge reason why the Bucks are now just four wins away from the NBA Finals.
Middleton joins Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Bam Adebayo on the 12-man roster.
Notably, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Donovan Mitchell and Jimmy Butler have all but opted out.
&nbsp;

Milwaukee Bucks two-way standout Khris Middleton has committed to Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, reports ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Khris Middleton joins Team USA for Tokyo Olympics

Where will Khris Middleton play next season? It might not be Milwaukee.
That is my personal opinion, but it is based upon conversations I have been having for the past several days with folks I know and trust. Disbelieve it if you want, but look at the facts.
The Bucks flamed out. Khris Middleton was not all that good in the postseason. And in order for Milwaukee to have a team capable of defeating the no-quit Miami Heat, the soon-to-be-healthy Brooklyn Nets, Doc Rivers&rsquo; Philadelphia 76ers and every other team in the East that is going to try to improve, the Bucks&rsquo; roster has to improve too.
This coming NBA offseason has thousands of unknowns, including whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will sign a super-max extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. He wants changes to the roster, one of which, the acquisition of Chris Paul, is a virtual impossibility.&nbsp;
But another change, dealing Middleton, is something the Bucks may take a long hard look at.
It is an open secret in the NBA that the Bucks are going to try to trade Eric Bledsoe, although no current trade discussions are taking place, a league source said on Thursday. What needs to be discussed in the days and weeks ahead is whether moving Middleton for a more proven playoff performer needs to happen, too. &nbsp;
Middleton didn&rsquo;t perform particularly well in the playoffs, as the Bucks lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the second round. What happens next is critical. Although Antetokounmpo and Middleton are close friends, the two-time MVP wants to win a championship and believes roster upgrades are necessary. However, he hasn&rsquo;t named specific players that he wants to see replaced.
Trade speculation about Bledsoe has been reported elsewhere, but the same cannot be said for Middleton, who is owed $146 million over the next four years. Middleton has not played well in each of the past two postseasons, as Milwaukee lost a 2-0 lead in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against Toronto and then got knocked out this year in five games by Miami.
While the Bucks are kicking the tires on just about every potential move, it&rsquo;s difficult to find a player with a comparable salary who would appeal to Milwaukee. Middleton is due to make $33.051 million next season, roughly the same number as the following players who theoretically could be available: Tobias Harris, 76ers ($32.7 million); Kevin Love, Cavaliers ($28.9 million), Al Horford, 76ers ($28 million), DeMar DeRozan, Spurs (27.7 million); Andrew Wiggins, Warriors ($27.5 million), and LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs ($26 million) among others.
If you are the Bucks, do any of those players appeal to you? In my opinion, only one of them does: Love, if he&rsquo;s at full strength.
Love is three years older than Middleton and has played in 63 career postseason games, going to the NBA Finals three times. He is under contract for three more seasons, making $31.2 million each of the next two seasons and $28.9 million in 2022-23.&nbsp;
Whether Cleveland would be open to such a swap is unknown, but Middleton has been an All-Star each of the past two seasons, and the Cavs are now building around Andre Drummond, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and an assortment of young players that soon will include the No. 5 pick in the draft. They had nine double-figure scorers last season, but nobody averaging the type of point production that Middleton is capable of.
Another upgrade option that the Bucks have to ponder is Jrue Holiday of New Orleans, who has been the subject of numerous trade rumors involving the Pelicans, who are changing coaches and looking to build around Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and this past season's Most Improved Player, Brandon Ingram. Holiday was recently selected by his peers as the NBA's Teammate of the Year, a testament to his value in the locker room.&nbsp;
Pelicans general manager David Griffin has only $83 million in committed salary for next season with Derrick Favors and E&rsquo;Twaun Moore coming off the cap, so a potential deal with the Bucks would not have to include matching salaries.
Combining the salaries of Middleton and Wesley Matthews ($2.56 million this season, with a player option for $2.69 million next season) would enable the Bucks to bring back a second player who could replace Matthews as a perimeter defensive specialist. That could happen through a trade or through free agency. They can use up to $5.8 million of the mid-level exception, but going above that number would make them hard-capped.
It can safely be said that no team aside from the Los Angeles Clippers had a more disappointing finish to the season than the Bucks, and standing pat with the same roster would not seem to be an option.&nbsp; Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have to adjust their roster to defeat the Heat, who will be playing in Game 6 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night.
Antetokounmpo missed the final game against Miami because of a right-ankle injury, and his supporting cast underperformed. Middleton shot below 40 percent during the postseason while averaging 20.3 points, and Bledsoe averaged only 11.7 points and 5.7 assists in nine games, shooting 38.8 percent from the field.
The second-round exit has led to speculation that Antetokounmpo will turn down the $254 million super-max extension and bolt for a different market, and Milwaukee&rsquo;s front office is expected to be proactive in scouring the league for upgrades. Based upon that assumption, Bledsoe (owed more than $54 million over the next three years) and Middleton (owed $147 million over the next four seasons) would be the most likely candidates to be dealt, with Middleton having the higher trade value.
Acquiring Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder would be extraordinarily difficult, given the two years and $85.6 million remaining on CP3&rsquo;s contract. The only way a deal could be made would be through a third team that has major salary cap space (Atlanta, Detroit and New York have the most), but that is still very unlikely -- even with ownership telling Giannis that the team is willing to pay the luxury tax in order to keep the two-time MVP in Milwaukee. Giannis and Paul became close in the NBA bubble (particularly during the Bucks&rsquo; boycott), which is where this chatter originated.
The answer to many of the questions concerning the NBA is dependent upon what happens with the coronavirus pandemic, but starting the season in January (at earliest) now seems to be a virtual certainty, according to NBPA director Michele Roberts, who has been inside the NBA bubble since July.&nbsp;
&rdquo;Even before COVID happened, there was a conversation about starting our season later. Why compete with football in the fall? Why don&rsquo;t we start our season around Christmas? It may very well be that our regular schedule is going to change, not so much because of COVID, but because of the ability to experiment. I wouldn&rsquo;t bet on returning to the old normal,&rdquo; <a href="https://theathletic.com/2119417/2020/10/06/its-been-more-than-worth-it-michele-roberts-on-bubble-life-and-nbas-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roberts told The Athletic</a>, noting that projections of $8 billion in revenue for the 2020-21 season are expected to come up 40 percent short.
So the league and the Players' Association must first figure out what the salary cap will be next season, along with when the season will start and whether fans will be allowed into arenas. That is the reason why the Bucks are not actively trying to trade Bledsoe. They are in a holding pattern, like every other NBA team.
It was curious to see that Antetokounmpo unfollowed all of his Bucks teammates on Instagram after they were eliminated, and it would have been nice to be a fly on the wall for Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s three-hour lunch with owner Marc Lasry before he returned to Greece.
Here is the big thing for the Bucks: When you lose, you make changes. And when you want a super-max-eligible superstar to stay, you try to put the best players around him.
Without any changes, Antetokounmpo may elect to play out his contract, after which suitors will tell him that even though he likes Milwaukee and does not care about playing in a major market, the caliber of teammates he wants to play alongside&nbsp;do care about those off-court factors. Milwaukee is not an attractive city for the majority of NBA players, so making the best trade(s) is just about the only option general manager Jon Horst has in order to keep Giannis with the Bucks for the next six seasons.
Also, Antetokounmpo is not the type of person to get overly specific when he requests changes. He is counting on Bucks management to be able to read his mind to a certain degree, so do not expect him to say anything publicly about Middleton, Bledsoe or anyone else on the Bucks.&nbsp;
But Milwaukee needs a second decision-maker and another outside shooter who can also defend on the perimeter, and it will be up to Horst to decide whether to keep Middleton or find a better fit.
If he doesn&rsquo;t, Antetokounmpo can turn down the super-max and keep his options open. And the Bucks want to avoid that at all costs.
Stay tuned, but do not expect Milwaukee to stand pat. They were a combined 2-6 against Miami in the regular season and the playoffs. They need to get better, and a change at point guard is probably not the only thing they need. Middleton is their best trade asset, and I do not think he&rsquo;ll be around when next season starts. We shall see.

Almost everything should be on the table for the Bucks this offseason to improve their roster around Giannis, writes Chris Sheridan.

Will Milwaukee Bucks trade Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe this offseason?

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks found themselves in danger of suffering one more devastating playoff loss to the Miami Heat.
Khris Middleton made sure it didn&rsquo;t happen.
<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1396216942764216325" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Middleton broke a tie with a jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime&nbsp;</a>and had 27 points to help the Bucks beat the Heat 109-107 on Saturday in Game 1 of the first-round series.
&ldquo;I have confidence in myself,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;You miss a lot of shots. You make a lot of shots. You just have to trust all the work you put in during the season and practice.&rdquo;
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KHRIS GAME WINNER!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/AaajE4IMv4">pic.twitter.com/AaajE4IMv4</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1396209567684562955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The nip-and-tuck nature of this game &mdash; nobody led by more than four points in the fourth quarter and overtime &mdash; exemplified the competitive nature of this playoff rematch. Game 2 is Monday night in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee was the No. 1 overall seed in last year&rsquo;s playoffs&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/toronto-milwaukee-bucks-jae-crowder-khris-middleton-miami-5e27a4ba85d538d27947524e463921a8#:~:text=The%20fifth%2Dseeded%20Heat%20finished,of%20a%20sprained%20right%20ankle.">but lost 4-1 to Miami in the second round. </a>Milwaukee is seeded third and Miami sixth in the Eastern Conference this time.
&ldquo;The pressure was all on them,&rdquo; said Miami&rsquo;s Goran Dragic, who scored 25 points and tied it with a corner 3-pointer with 20.6 seconds left. &ldquo;They need to win at home. It was a close game. I feel like we had our chances, but unfortunately we didn&rsquo;t take them.&rdquo;
Milwaukee squandered opportunities to seal the victory before the final second of overtime.
Over the last 1:06 of regulation, Antetokounmpo was 2 of 5 from the line and had a 10-second violation that prevented him from getting another free-throw attempt.
Antetokounmpo wore a sleeve on his left arm late in the game after appearing to grab his elbow late in the fourth quarter. He still had 26 points, 18 rebounds and five assists but shot 10 of 27 overall and 6 of 13 on free-throw attempts.
&ldquo;I just tried to stay aggressive the whole game,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to try to do the whole series, miss or make.&rdquo;
Milwaukee&rsquo;s struggles from the line enabled&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1396206103650832386" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler to force overtime</a>&nbsp;by making a buzzer-beating driving layup past Antetokounmpo.
Dragic tied it again in the final minute of OT. Milwaukee opted against calling a timeout afterward and instead went right to its offense.
&ldquo;It shows the trust we have in one another,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;On the fly, sometimes we don&rsquo;t have to call a timeout. We can execute our sets and everyone get to their spots and get the best shot out of it.&rdquo;
Middleton dribbled toward the free-throw line, then cut to his right and made a 19-footer while being closely guarded by Duncan Robinson.
&ldquo;In that situation, you&rsquo;ve got to make somebody miss,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;Could it have been better? For sure. I will be. I&rsquo;ll learn from it. This obviously stings a lot, but we&rsquo;ve got to have a short memory - learn from it and move forward.&rdquo;
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Robinson scored 24 points while shooting 7 of 13 from 3-point range. His seven 3-pointers tied a Heat playoff record.
Miami went 20 of 50 on 3-pointers while the Bucks were just 5 of 31. Milwaukee had never made below seven 3-pointers in a game during the regular season.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need 3&prime;s to win,&rdquo; said Milwaukee&rsquo;s Jrue Holiday, who missed all five of his 3-point attempts but had 20 points and 11 rebounds. &ldquo;We do a lot of everything.&rdquo;
The Bucks compensated by outscoring the Heat 56-24 in the paint and outrebounding Miami 64-51. Butler and Bam Adebayo shot a combined 8 of 37 for the Heat, with Butler going 4 of 22 while Adebayo was 4 of 15.
Butler still had 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists. He was sometimes defended by Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;The ball is going to be in his hands a lot,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;He draws a lot of attention and you&rsquo;ve got to be ready to go against him, but I love the challenge. Last year I didn&rsquo;t have the chance to guard him as much.&rdquo;
BIGGER CROWDS
This game featured the largest attendance for a Milwaukee home game this season.
The Milwaukee Health Department&rsquo;s revised pandemic-imposed guidelines enabled the Bucks to fill 50% of Fiserv Forum&rsquo;s seats this season, resulting in crowds of about 9,000. The Bucks had closed the regular season playing home games at 18% capacity, or roughly 3,300 fans.
Crowds will get even bigger when this series moves to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday.&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-health-coronavirus-pandemic-sports-467b553129f93ba4ab59aaa125dc4fc9">The Heat announced Saturday&nbsp;</a>they could have as many as 17,000 fans for their home playoff games
TIP-INS
Heat: This marks the third time the Heat have faced the Bucks in the postseason. The Heat swept the Bucks in the first round in 2013 before knocking off Milwaukee in the second round last year.
Bucks:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1396183231490232321" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Holiday scored an unusual basket</a>&nbsp;late in the second quarter. It appeared as though Holiday was attempting a lob to Antetokounmpo, but the ball instead went through the hoop. &hellip; &hellip; The Bucks are making their fifth straight playoff appearance to match the second-longest streak in team history. They reached the postseason 12 straight times from 1980-91.
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More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/NBA">https://apnews.com/NBA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>
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Khris Middleton broke a tie with a jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime and had 27 points to help the Bucks beat the Heat 109-107.

Khris Middleton lifts Bucks past Heat in overtime in Game 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is an All-Star with unwavering confidence in his shot, always believing that no matter how poorly he starts that he can turn things around.
&ldquo;Khris has no fear and he never has,&rdquo; Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday said.
Middleton&rsquo;s big shots &mdash; and throw in Giannis Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s big block &mdash; may have turned around the course of these NBA Finals.
Middleton scored 40 points, including 10 straight for the Bucks down the stretch to send them past the Phoenix Suns, 109-103 on Wednesday night to tie the series 2-2.
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Khris Middleton came up big in the final minutes of Game 4 🔥 He led the Bucks in scoring with 40 Pts 💪 <a href="https://t.co/Gijd1XtGZp">pic.twitter.com/Gijd1XtGZp</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1415517579657965569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We wanted this bad and the team showed it tonight,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said.
Middleton&rsquo;s hot hand and a big block from Antetokounmpo&nbsp;gave the Bucks their second-straight victory in the first close game of the series.
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Giannis' HUGE BLOCK helps seal the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> Game 4 win! 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThatsGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThatsGame</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> tied at 2-2.. Game 5 is Saturday at 9pm/et on ABC. <a href="https://t.co/aanNuTUtlF">pic.twitter.com/aanNuTUtlF</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1415516905847283712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. His streak of 40-point games ended at two but the only number that matters for the Bucks is on the series scoreboard.
Devin Booker scored 42 points for the Suns, but his foul trouble cost them a chance to build a big lead in the second half. Chris Paul struggled through a 5-for-13 night, finishing with 10 points and five turnovers.
Game 5 is Saturday night in Phoenix.
&ldquo;This is a tough one but we&rsquo;ve got to bounce back,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we fought all season to get home court.&rdquo;
Phoenix led by two with two-and-a-half minutes left before Middleton made the next two baskets to give Milwaukee a 101-99 edge with 1:28 to play. It appeared the Suns would tie it with a lob pass to center Deandre Ayton but Antetokounmpo swooped in to block it, flexing his muscles to the crowd behind the basket as the Bucks broke the other way on the fast break.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s an NBA Finals special moment right there, and we&rsquo;re going to need more of them,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
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Middleton missed a couple of jumpersm but Paul lost the ball after the second one when he slipped and fell down while dribbling. That sent Middleton off for a layup and he followed with four free throws to make it 107-101.
&ldquo;Nobody caved,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;We stayed with it.&rdquo;
Brook Lopez had 14 points for the Bucks and Holiday added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He shot only 4 for 20, but his defense helped knock Paul off his game.
Before Middleton&rsquo;s run, it appeared it was going to be Booker&rsquo;s night. He bounced back in a big way from a 3-for-14 night in Game 3 with his third 40-point game of this postseason.
But he had to spend portions of the third and fourth quarters on the bench after picking up fouls and his teammates couldn&rsquo;t handle things without him.
With the leaders of their only title team in the arena, the Bucks improved to 9-1 at home in the playoffs. They are trying to overcome a 2-0 deficit for the second time in this postseason.
The Suns never got more than two wins in their two previous trips to the NBA Finals but it seemed they were finally headed there Wednesday. Booker had a big finish to the third quarter to send them to the fourth leading 82-76, but he picked up his fifth foul barely a minute into the period and sat for about five minutes.
The Bucks trimmed only three points off the lead before he returned midway through the fourth, but Middleton made sure they surged ahead when it mattered.
&ldquo;When you have that kind of lead in the fourth, if we can just hold on to the ball and get good possessions, you feel like you can at least hold it there,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said.
Antetokounmpo had dominated the previous game with his offense, but the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year made his biggest mark on this game on the other end of the floor.
Perhaps sensing the pressure, both teams fumbled the ball around in the early going, diving on the floor in desperate attempts to save it. The Bucks turned what looked like lost possessions into baskets that way in the first quarter, giving them a boost while their outside shooting was off.
The Bucks, who had a big second quarter in Game 3, had another nice stretch midway through this one with an 8-0 run. That gave them a four-point lead and the margin stayed right around there, with the teams trading the lead, until Middleton&rsquo;s 3-pointer made it 52-all at the break.
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TIP-INS
Suns: Booker has 542 points, most ever for a player in his first postseason. Rick Barry scored 521 in 1967. ... Jae Crowder scored 15 points.
Bucks: Milwaukee shot just 7 for 29 (24%) from 3-point range. ... Pat Connaughton had 11 points and nine rebounds.
BEST OF THE BUCKS
Bucks legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson sat next to each other and were given a loud ovation when shown during the first half.&nbsp;
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Jon McGlocklin from the 1971 Championship <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> team are ready for Game 4 👏 <a href="https://t.co/pPsUZwnPYi">pic.twitter.com/pPsUZwnPYi</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1415482424771833857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Bob Dandridge and Jon McGlocklin were the other members of the Bucks&rsquo; only NBA championship team who were at the game. Marques Johnson and Michael Redd were also in attendance.

Khris Middleton scored 40 points to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 109-103, on Wednesday night in Game 4. The series is now tied at 2-2.

Khris Middleton sends Bucks past Suns to tie NBA Finals at 2-2

While the three-point shot has unquestionably changed the NBA game, during these finals the star of the show might be the mid-range jumper.
Yes, the regular old two-point shot will get some love in this series.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Khris Middleton and Phoenix&rsquo;s Devin Booker and Chris Paul all excel at 12-to-18-foot pull-ups, which is a lost art for many players who focus on three-pointers or dunks.
&ldquo;A lot of coaches&rsquo; and teams&rsquo; schemes, they want you to shoot threes and layups,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what a lot of teams expect you to do. But when you stop sometimes, they just don&rsquo;t expect it. It gives you a clean look.
&ldquo;So if you work on it, it almost seems like a layup or a three-point shot for myself.&rdquo;
Sounds simple enough and there are players in the NBA Finals who make it look easy. It might be one reason Booker and Middleton are two of the more overlooked All-Stars in the league. Perfecting the 15-foot baseline jumper isn&rsquo;t exactly every kid&rsquo;s dream lately when they&rsquo;re shooting hoops in the driveway.
But Booker and Middleton have it down to a science &mdash; along with a healthy respect for one another.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a guy that hits tough shots, a guy that can score from the three, the mid-range and the paint, a guy that can get to the free throw line,&rdquo; Middleton said of Booker. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy that really can score in every single way, which is tough to guard because you don&rsquo;t know when he&rsquo;s going to stop and shoot, when he&rsquo;s going to keep going, when he&rsquo;s going to look to create for others.&rdquo;
LONG ROAD BACK
The NBA Finals are special anytime, but this year one reason is just because they&rsquo;re happening.
Multiple teams had their schedules altered because of coronavirus guidelines and protocols. Arenas were eerily empty for much of the season. LeBron James and other players were irritated about the condensed scheduled, which led to questions about the unusual high number of start players going down with injuries across the league. James also wasn&rsquo;t a fan of a hastily arranged All-Star Game.
But the NBA Finals are set to tipoff in front of near-capacity crowds.
And through it all, Paul&rsquo;s fingerprints can be found everywhere.
As president of the NBA players&rsquo; union, he balances the concerns of around 450 players.
&ldquo;Everything that&rsquo;s good for this guy and that guy might not be the same for that guy, but everything has always been a conversation and it&rsquo;s going to continue to be that way,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;So if people don&rsquo;t like it, then you know everybody has the same opportunity to be a part of all these conversations.&rdquo;
TUMMY TROUBLE
The Suns were without key reserve Cameron Johnson in their closeout Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Clippers because of a poorly-timed bout with food poisoning.
Johnson said the worst part &mdash; other than not being on the court &mdash; was that his tummy trouble was so widely discussed.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like everyone in the world knows, so can&rsquo;t even take my &lsquo;L&rsquo; in peace and silence,&rdquo; Johnson said.
Johnson said he should be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday. He said even after he got sick, he had no doubt the Suns were going to close out the Clippers in Los Angeles.
&ldquo;I felt really, really comfortable with what our guys are capable of, and I definitely watched the game with kind of an aura of peace knowing that we&rsquo;re going to take care of it,&rdquo; Johnson said.
ON THE WHISTLE
Veterans Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, James Capers and Marc Davis are among the 14 who have been selected as officials in the NBA Finals.
Foster will be making 14th Finals appearance. Brothers, Capers and Davis are in their 10th.
Finals officials are selected by the NBA&rsquo;s Referee Operations management team based on how they performed during the first three rounds of the playoffs.
Games involving Foster could be must-see TV. Paul and Foster have clashed in the past and the point guard has made it no secret that he&rsquo;s not a fan of the referee. Paul has lost 11 straight playoff games that Foster has officiated.
DOUBLE AGENT
Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday and former Bucks teammate Torrey Craig talked earlier this season about their shared goal of making the NBA Finals.
They did it.
With different teams.
Craig was traded to Phoenix midway through the season and he&rsquo;s become a key rotation player off the bench. He has the unique perspective of being very familiar with both rosters. Holiday said he&rsquo;s happy for Craig.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s fighting for the same thing we&rsquo;re fighting for,&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;d love to beat him.&rdquo;
BY THE NUMBERS
1 &mdash; Player on either team who has played in the NBA Finals. That would be Phoenix forward Jae Crowder, who made it last year with the Heat. No player on either team has won a title.
5 &mdash; Seasons that Bucks forward P.J. Tucker played from 2012-17 with the Suns early in his career.
70.6%. &mdash; Suns forward Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s shooting percentage in these playoffs. Ayton is just 22 years old and won&rsquo;t celebrate his 23rd birthday until July 23, which is the day after a potential Game 7.
1968 &mdash; The year the Bucks and Suns both joined the NBA as expansion teams.

Khris Middleton, Devin Booker and Chris Paul all excel at 12-to-18-foot pull-ups, which is a lost art for many players.

Mid-range jumpers could be the rage during Bucks-Suns in NBA Finals

According to Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has tested positive for COVID-19.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/eric_nehm/status/1359025663215304706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1359025663215304706%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoopshype.com%2Frumors%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Nehm/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Bucks declined to comment on Holiday's condition, instead saying that he is merely under the league's health and safety protocols at this time. The 30-year-old is currently averaging 16.4 points and 5.4 assists for Milwaukee, who sits second in the Eastern Conference standings.

Khris Middleton implied that Holiday, who is under the league's safety protocols, tested positive.

Bucks' Jrue Holiday may have tested positive for COVID-19

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored on a driving layup with two seconds left to give Milwaukee a 127-125 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, the Bucks&rsquo; eighth consecutive victory.
Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks.
&ldquo;Giannis is just great. Reading the defense, attack mode,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;Any time we can get him the ball in that type of situation, we feel like he&rsquo;s going to make a good play.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
GIANNIS WINS IT FOR THE <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a>! The wild finish to a thriller in Milwaukee! <a href="https://t.co/rEf4NDXlqB">pic.twitter.com/rEf4NDXlqB</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1466249826182602752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The last minute saw a lot of back and forth between the teams. Middleton buried a 3-pointer from the top left to put Milwaukee in front 123-122 with 52 seconds left. Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s lay-in on the Bucks&rsquo; next possession was negated by an offensive foul.
Gordon Hayward missed a jumper from the top of the key for the Hornets, and Middleton hit two free throws to make it 125-122 with 8.6 seconds remaining.
LaMelo Ball made a fadeaway 3-pointer &mdash; his eighth of the game &mdash; with 5.9 seconds left to pull the Hornets even at 125. After a timeout, Jru Holliday fed Antetokounmpo near the top of the lane for the reverse left-side layup.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen the play, but I knew in the position I was in, there was two different routes,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;Float it up or try to sneak it in, and when you try to sneak it in, you&rsquo;ve got to spin on. If you just go normal, most likely you&rsquo;re going to get it blocked.&rdquo;
Middleton said Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s game-winner was more difficult than it looked.
&ldquo;People talk about him just being dominant, but on that shot, you can see the skill that he has,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not always dunking over people, not always using the jump hook. That&rsquo;s a tough layup even for guards, and he&rsquo;s a 7-footer coming down to end the game. Going over, then under an arm, then flipping it with a little bit of spin off the glass, that just shows you the type of skills he has as a player.&rdquo;
Ball had a career-high 36 points for the Hornets, followed by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 25 and Miles Bridges with 22 points.
Charlotte made 10 of 17 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter, and Oubre&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the closing seconds put the Hornets up 41-25 entering the second period. Oubre had 20 points in the first half, making 5 of 7 3-pointers. Hill&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the left corner brought the Bucks within 68-60 at the half.
Milwaukee took its first lead at 91-90 on a three-point play by George Hill with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
&ldquo;Great effort, on the road against a really good team,&rdquo; Hornets coach James Borrego said. &ldquo;Came in with the right mentality from the start. Played for 48 minutes the right way. I don&rsquo;t have one minute where I didn&rsquo;t think we were playing the right way.&rdquo;
Ball hit 12 of 22 shots, including 8 of 15 from beyond the arc, along with nine assists.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s grown all year, he&rsquo;s a fantastic player, we&rsquo;re lucky to have him, we&rsquo;re fortunate to have him,&rdquo; Borrego said, adding, &ldquo;his fearlessness and his composure is fantastic&rdquo; against the NBA champions. "He&rsquo;s a great player. He&rsquo;s only getting better. This just the tip of the iceberg. The kid&rsquo;s got a bright, bright future.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte entered last in scoring defense at 114.9 points per game and was without two of its better inside defenders, F Cody Martin (illness) and C Mason Plumlee (right calf strain).
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to be a much better defensive team. We understand that. It&rsquo;s no secret,&rdquo; Borrego said. &ldquo;The bottom five teams defensively just don&rsquo;t win consistently in this league. I&rsquo;ve never seen that. Top-tier defenses do. That&rsquo;s our goal.&rdquo;
Bucks: With C Brook Lopez sidelined since the opener (back soreness), Milwaukee signed veteran free agent DeMarcus Cousins, who was available Wednesday night. The 6-foot-10 Cousins averaged 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 17.4 minutes in 41 games last season with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers.
Cousins played 14 minutes, scoring seven points. Budenholzer said before the game that he thought Cousins is &ldquo;mentally ... in a good place, so we&rsquo;re excited about having him for, whatever this is, 60 games or so.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Hornets: At Atlanta on Sunday.
Bucks: At Toronto on Thursday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks.

Bucks beat Hornets on Antetokounmpo's final-seconds layup

Khris Middleton scored 38 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 and the Milwaukee Bucks never trailed in a 104-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night to force a decisive seventh game in their second-round playoff series.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Khris Middleton did NOT want his season to end 😤 38 PTS 10 REB 5 AST 5 STL 68.5 FPTS<a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> force Game 7 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/U8bnpMJbyU">pic.twitter.com/U8bnpMJbyU</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1405725159718326285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Another look at Giannis' rebound &amp; SLAM to hype up the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> crowd inside &amp; outside the building! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThatsGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThatsGame</a> <a href="https://t.co/etpRrNk8RG">pic.twitter.com/etpRrNk8RG</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1405723328749449216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Game 7 will be Saturday night in Brooklyn. The home team has won each of the first six games in this series.
Milwaukee never trailed and broke the game open by going on a 14-0 run that started with less than 8 &frac12; minutes left.
Middleton answered every Brooklyn comeback attempt and had 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals to go along with the highest scoring total of his playoff career. Antetokounmpo had 17 rebounds.
The Bucks shot just 7 of 33 from 3-point range but made up for it by outscoring the Nets 26-4 in fast-break points.
Milwaukee bounced back two nights after blowing a 17-point lead in a 114-108 Game 5 loss at Brooklyn that featured an epic 49-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist performance from Kevin Durant.
Durant had 32 points and 11 rebounds Thursday. James Harden added 16 points but still looked as though he was at far less than full strength in his second game since returning from a hamstring injury.
Harden had left Game 1 in the opening minute with right hamstring tightness and returned in Game 5 but shot 1 of 10 and scored just five points.
The Bucks owned a 14-point lead early in the second half before Durant again sparked a third-quarter comeback, scoring 10 straight Nets points during one stretch.
Brooklyn cut Milwaukee&rsquo;s lead to 72-67 with 1:27 left in the third when Harden made two free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point shot. Middleton restored Milwaukee&rsquo;s double-digit advantage by scoring the last six points of the third quarter, including a putback at the buzzer.
Milwaukee extended the lead to 15 early in the fourth quarter, but Brooklyn stormed back again with 10 straight points, as Joe Harris&rsquo; 3-pointer made it 82-77 with 8:41 left. Middleton again responded, drawing a foul on Harris while shooting a 3-pointer and making all three free throws.
Those free throws started a 14-0 run that included seven points from Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP capped the spurt by converting an offensive rebound into a dunk with 6:24 left.
TIP-INS
Nets: The Nets used their 41st different starting lineup (Durant, Harden, Harris Blake Griffin and Jeff Green) of the season. They&rsquo;ve used four different starting lineups in 11 playoff games. &hellip; Durant is one of only two players to score at least 30 points against the Bucks at least seven times in a season (regular season and playoffs combined). Michael Jordan had seven games of at least 30 points against Milwaukee in 1989-90.
Bucks: Middleton was 5 of 8 from 3-point range. His teammates were a combined 2 of 25. ... The Bucks are 5-0 against the Nets at home this season and own a 5-0 overall home playoff record. They're 12-2 all-time in playoff games at Fiserv Forum. &hellip; Antetokounmpo has 10 straight playoff double-doubles and four consecutive playoff games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Khris Middleton scored 38 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 and the Bucks never trailed, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Brooklyn.

Bucks bounce back to defeat Nets 104-89 and force Game 7

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) &mdash; There was plenty of time to talk about it, had they wanted to.
Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton were together on a plane to Tokyo, just days after they had played in the hard-fought NBA Finals.
They had roughly nine hours in the air to relive details of that series, to revisit some of their memorable moments.
Booker and Middleton both had 40-point games in the series. Holiday provided a highlight that will be replayed in Milwaukee for years to come.
So, with all that time to kill on the way to the Olympics, how much talk was about the NBA Finals?
&ldquo;There was actually none,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;We all respect each other.
&ldquo;It was all about moving on and figuring out a way to get this job done here. To sit there and talk about the Finals was not something that was on anybody&rsquo;s mind.&rdquo;
The series ended last Tuesday, when the Bucks won Game 6 to close out Booker&rsquo;s Phoenix Suns. Middleton and Holiday took part in Milwaukee&rsquo;s championship parade on Thursday, then&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-nba-tokyo-milwaukee-bucks-8ef2aac27c0efe79452614a989af8316" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flew the next day to Seattle</a>, where they met up with Booker.
It was a whirlwind few days after a draining two-week series. And with the U.S. Olympic opener tipping off less than 24 hours after they landed in Japan, the flight was about the only rest the trio was going to get.
&ldquo;I feel like me, Book and K-Midd just slept,&rdquo; Holiday said.
Booker couldn&rsquo;t be blamed if he didn&rsquo;t want to talk to two guys who had been responsible for ruining his NBA championship dreams. But he reiterated that he could work with them, just as he could have had the Suns won.
&ldquo;I said it during the series when we had this question. I have a lot of respect for those guys and when you&rsquo;re competing at the highest level, it doesn&rsquo;t always go your way,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m a forward thinker and move onto the next thing and be able to take my &lsquo;L&rsquo; and move on.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s not always easy when players have to quickly go from foes to friends.
When Kevin Durant made his Olympic debut in 2012, he acknowledged the difficulty in seeing LeBron James every day so soon after Miami beat Oklahoma City in those NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant said then he didn&rsquo;t know if he could&rsquo;ve handled that, figuring if he was Durant he&rsquo;d have needed to go at James in practice to help get over it.
Booker hasn&rsquo;t forgotten his disappointment, but he&rsquo;s not holding it against his new teammates &mdash; even after&nbsp;Holiday stole the ball from him&nbsp;and threw an alley-oop pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final moments of Game 5 to swing the series Milwaukee&rsquo;s way.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
This incredible defensive play from Jrue and lob to Giannis helps seal the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> Game 5 win! 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThatsGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThatsGame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/oQElb5fE9n">pic.twitter.com/oQElb5fE9n</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1416603540932411398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We lost and that&rsquo;s it, and I&rsquo;m man enough to accept that and move on,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;So, there&rsquo;s no hate towards Jrue or K-Midd.&rdquo;
Besides, there were much bigger concerns.
There&rsquo;s some anxiety for anyone coming to an Olympics, wondering how things are going to work. That&rsquo;s raised even more this year, with heightened protocols because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The three Americans had to worry about that while knowing they were going to have to play in a game without getting to practice with their team, or even shoot around much with the international basketball that is much different than the leather one used in the NBA.
&ldquo;If we had a couple weeks to prepare a little bit I think we&rsquo;d be more used to it, but feeling it for the first time on game day was definitely an adjustment,&rdquo; Booker said.
It wasn&rsquo;t a problem for Holiday, who led the Americans with 18 points in their 83-76 loss to France. Booker shot 1 for 6 and Middleton missed both his attempts.
But with a couple days of rest and practice, U.S. coach Gregg Popovich moved Holiday and Booker into the starting lineup Wednesday. Booker had 16 points, Middleton scored 10 and Holiday delivered another strong game in a&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bounceback-how-united-states-mens-national-basketball-team-usa-revived-its-offense-vs-iran-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">120-66 rout of Iran</a>.
The opening loss could make things more difficult for the Americans, but Middleton and Holiday know about digging out of tough spots. The Bucks overcame 2-0 holes in the second round and then again in the NBA Finals.
The Americans, who never had their full team together until the eve of their first game, knew all along the road to gold wouldn&rsquo;t be easy.
&ldquo;So a lot of adversity and I feel like this is just something that we do a lot,&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;ll accomplish this too, just like we&rsquo;ve accomplished everything before.&rdquo;

Days after battling in a hard-fought NBA Finals series, Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have united toward a common goal.

Booker, Middleton, Holiday put NBA Finals behind them to focus on gold

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, one of the best players on the planet.
Even so, he'll gladly cede the closer's role to Khris Middleton in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Middleton taking command in the final minutes, the Milwaukee Bucks are now up 2-1 on the Atlanta Hawks heading to Game 4 of the series Tuesday night.
&ldquo;We were like, &lsquo;Get the hell out of the way, give him the ball, take us home, Khris,&rsquo; and that&rsquo;s what he did,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I trust this guy to death. If he wants the ball, he gets it. Simple as that. He&rsquo;s knocking down shots."
Middleton scored 20 of his playoff-career-high-tying 38 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/takeaways-from-buckshawks-game-5">rallying the Bucks to a 113-102 victory</a> that restored the home-court edge they lost to the Hawks in the series opener at Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo wasn't the least bit hesitant about stepping aside for Middleton in the biggest minutes of the series so far.
&ldquo;Doesn&rsquo;t matter who is the first guy. Does not matter,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I want to be a winner. I have the whole game to be the guy. I don&rsquo;t care about being the guy in the fourth quarter.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
While the Bucks appear to have several players who can carry them to the NBA Finals &mdash; don't forget Jrue Holiday &mdash; the Hawks rely on one player above all others.
And he's hurting.
Trae Young twisted his right ankle in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/foot-fault-young-injured-ankle-in-freak-encounter-with-ref">a freak accident</a> Sunday night, stepping on a referee's foot along the sideline in the final minute of the third quarter. He underwent an MRI on Monday, which showed a bone bruise. He was listed as questionable for Game 4.
It's hard to envision the upstart Hawks pulling off another playoff upset without a player who's been one of the breakout stars of the postseason.
Young is averaging 29.8 points in the playoffs, including 35 in Game 3 even though he made only one basket after being injured.
&ldquo;He's the head of our snake,&rdquo; teammate John Collins said. &ldquo;That's the last thing anyone who's a Hawks' supporter wants see is that dude coming down with any knick-knack or whatever it is... You hate to see it. I'm just hoping and praying he's gonna be OK.&rdquo;
Young was able to return to the court with just under nine minutes remaining and the Hawks nursing a five-point lead. But he was limping noticeably and grimacing in pain every time he dribbled up the court.
Lacking his trademark explosiveness, which creates so many opportunities for the Hawks' offense, Young hit only one basket the rest of the game. Middleton and the Bucks outscored Atlanta 25-9 to win going away.
&ldquo;It was really my blow-by speed,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a big part of my game, my ability to blow by anybody.&rdquo;
If Young can't go in Game 4, or can only play limited minutes without his usual effectiveness, the Hawks will have to rely on a team effort to compensate.
That means Lou Williams playing a bigger role, Collins staying out of foul trouble, and Bogdan Bogdanovic being much more effective than he has been so far in the playoffs.
Bogdanovic, who was Atlanta's biggest free-agent signing during the last offseason, has been the most glaring disappointment of the surprising postseason run by the conference's No. 5 seed.
Bothered by a sore knee, Bogdanovic is averaging just 12.3 points in the playoffs and has gone six-straight games without reaching double figures. He was awful in Game 3, making just 3-of-16 shots to finish with eight points.
&ldquo;His shot has not fallen for him, but he&rsquo;s a guy who I believe that next shot is going down,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;He had some wide-open looks that I&rsquo;m willing to trust that he&rsquo;s going to knock those shots down. It just isn&rsquo;t falling for him. It hasn&rsquo;t fallen for him this whole series."
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While the Hawks might need someone other than Young to play a leading role on offense, they're faced with an equally perplexing predicament at the defensive end: Stopping Milwaukee's Big Three.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.7 points per game in this series, Middleton 22.7 and Holiday 20.3.
The Hawks could sure use De'Andre Hunter, one of their best defensive players, but he's out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Also, the Hawks made things even easier for the Bucks by settling for too many contested shots early in the shot clock, giving Milwaukee a chance to turn misses into easy transition baskets at the opposite end.
McMillan acknowledged the difficulty in shutting down &mdash; or at least creating more issues &mdash; for Milwaukee's big scorers.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really a three-headed monster over there with Antetokounmpo as well as Khris and Jrue,&rdquo; the Hawks coach said. &ldquo;All of those guys are isolation players. They do a good job of spacing the floor. If you are committing to the ball, then they are more than happy to shoot the three-ball.&rdquo;
Especially Middleton, who went 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in Game 3.
&ldquo;When a guy gets hot like that, you&rsquo;d like to basically run a guy at him,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;Before we could even get a guy on him, he had released it. He was really scoring from everywhere.&rdquo;
The two-time MVP was glad to keep feeding Middleton the ball.
&ldquo;For me, it was greatness,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. "Simple as that.&rdquo;

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players on the planet, but
he'll gladly cede the closer's role to Khris Middleton this postseason.

Antetokounmpo gladly cedes closer role to Middleton in playoffs

Khris Middleton and Bryn Forbes each scored 21 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 122-108 on Saturday night in a potential first-round playoff series preview.
Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who have won three straight and eight of their last nine.
&ldquo;It's more about being consistent going into the playoffs, no matter the opponent or who we're playing,&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;It's about being consistent and being in a good groove. I think at this point in the season we've done a pretty good job of really just coming out every game and trying to prepare like every game's a playoff game.&rdquo;
Kendrick Nunn had a season-high 31 points for the Heat. They lost despite shooting 22 of 49 from 3-point range and tying a franchise record for 3-point baskets in a game.
Miami didn't have leading scorer Jimmy Butler due to lower back tightness.
The Bucks are third and the Heat sixth in the <a href="https://www.nba.com/standings"> Eastern Conference standings,</a> which would have them meeting in the first round of the playoffs. But neither team is locked into that position heading into the final day of the regular season.
Milwaukee still could earn the No. 2 seed if it wins at Chicago and the Brooklyn Nets lose at home to Cleveland on Sunday. Miami could move into the No. 5 spot if it beats Houston and the New York Knicks lose at home to Boston.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/toronto-milwaukee-bucks-jae-crowder-khris-middleton-miami-5e27a4ba85d538d27947524e463921a8">The Heat beat the top-seeded Bucks 4-1 in a second-round playoff series </a> last year and went on to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/andre-iguodala-lebron-james-boston-celtics-jimmy-butler-charlotte-hornets-02822c581e2d765a3ea3e51e85c0460a">win the East title</a> before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-nba-finals-nba-basketball-miami-heat-978c5c3dbe77046070439660921cf580">losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. </a>
&ldquo;It's just all about competing,&rdquo; said Middleton, who had seven rebounds and seven assists. &ldquo;It doesn't matter who it is, if they beat us in the past or if we beat them in the past. We know at this point, everybody's trying to play their best basketball, so each night we have to bring it.&rdquo;
This loss eliminated the Heat from contention for a potential No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
&ldquo;It is a little bit disappointing,&rdquo; Miami's Goran Dragic said. &ldquo;Now it's over. ... We need to regroup and be ready. We still have our last game tomorrow. It can count to move up in the standings, so we're going to do everything it takes to win that one.&rdquo;
Milwaukee took the lead for good about two minutes into the game thanks to a balanced attack.
Brook Lopez scored 18 points and shot 9 of 10. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points, Bobby Portis 14, and Donte DiVincenzo added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Duncan Robinson and Dragic scored 17 points each for Miami.
TIP-INS
Heat: Butler didn&rsquo;t play in any of the Heat&rsquo;s three regular-season meetings with the Bucks. When these two teams split a pair of games in Miami on Dec. 29-30, Butler was out with a sprained right ankle. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html">Butler averaged 23.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists </a> during Miami&rsquo;s second-round playoff series victory over the Bucks last season. ... Milwaukee native Tyler Herro scored just three points while shooting 1 of 9 overall and 0 for 5 from 3-point range. Herro entered the night having shot 23 of 36 from 3-point range over his last six games.
Bucks: Jim Paschke, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets-entertainment-nba-college-football-d6db64b98962a168b510c2cf57981344">who is retiring at the end of the season</a> after 35 years of broadcasting Bucks games, received a hearty ovation <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1393722028260089858">as he announced Milwaukee&rsquo;s lineup </a> before the regular-season home finale. In a videotaped message that aired midway through the second quarter, <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI/status/1393715715518222343">broadcasters from across the NBA offered tributes to Paschke.</a>
UP NEXT
Heat: At Detroit on Sunday. Their two previous meetings this season were both at Miami, with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-nba-finals-jerami-grant-detroit-pistons-miami-325ab40ae01476d693aa2cbba658e6ed">Pistons prevailing 120-100 </a> on Jan. 16 and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-duncan-robinson-detroit-pistons-miami-coronavirus-pandemic-11b3fe454d2270df31b6db7023a19802">Heat winning 113-107</a> on Jan. 18.
Bucks: At Chicago on Sunday. The Bucks have won the last 12 games in the series, including a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-milwaukee-bucks-chicago-bulls-chicago-tomas-satoransky-c345023e7e562b9b003acb11b36c6c58">126-96 decision at Milwaukee</a> on Jan. 1 and a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-chicago-bulls-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-7ca575e96d4d38d00ac1716cd186ddd5">108-98 triumph in Chicago </a> on April 30.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Khris Middleton and Bryn Forbes each scored 21 points to help the Bucks beat the Heat in a potential first-round playoff series preview.

Bucks beat Heat 122-108, maintain bid for East's No. 2 seed

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-117 on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Bobby Portis added a season-high 23 points as the Bucks ended a five-game home losing streak.
Milwaukee never trailed and led by as many as 21 to defeat Philadelphia for the fourth consecutive time. In their only previous meeting this season, the Bucks won 109-105 in overtime at Philadelphia on March 17.
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The MVP played like an MVP: 27 PTS | 16 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK <a href="https://t.co/0OtXWpkkWt">pic.twitter.com/0OtXWpkkWt</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1385416634974674946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We were moving the ball, knocking down shots. From the start, everybody was locked in," Antetokounmpo said.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points for the Sixers. Shake Milton had 20 off the bench.
&ldquo;We were soft tonight,&rdquo; Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t put up much resistance.&rdquo;
The Bucks, who hadn't played since Monday, improved to 36-22 and hold the third seed in the East. The Sixers, playing for the fifth time in eight days, fell to 39-20 and into a tie with idle Brooklyn for the top spot. Philadelphia plays in Milwaukee again Saturday.
&ldquo;I think playing teams like this, back to back, it&rsquo;s awesome because it prepares you for the playoffs," Antetokounmpo said.
The Sixers got closer to full strength with the return of two starters. Tobias Harris, who has been dealing with a right knee issue, came back after missing three games. Seth Curry, who missed Wednesday&rsquo;s game with left hip flexor soreness, also returned to the lineup.
Harris revealed he has been dealing with a bone bruise.
&ldquo;I felt good out there in terms of my health and knee," Harris said. "We&rsquo;ll continue to find the right rhythm and timing.&rdquo;
Another starter, Ben Simmons, one of the league&rsquo;s top defenders, missed a third consecutive game with an unspecified illness. Rivers said he's unsure of Simmons' status for Saturday's matchup.
&ldquo;Right now, I'd say it's 50-50, at best,&rdquo; he said.
The Bucks jumped out to 10-0 lead and led by as many as 20 &mdash; at 33-13 &mdash; in the opening quarter. Milwaukee hit its first 10 shots, including five 3-pointers. The Bucks finished the quarter connecting on 14 of 19 shots and held a 40-26 lead.
&ldquo;They didn't feel us defensively," Harris said. &ldquo;They got where they wanted to all night.&rdquo;
The Bucks maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and led 77-60 at the half on 66% shooting. Middleton had 21 first-half points.
Philadelphia cut the lead to nine with 2:51 left in the third, but the Bucks closed the quarter with a 14-2 run, sparked by three straight 3-pointers by Portis, to lead 108-87. Portis made all five of his 3-point attempts.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve was just trying to do what I&rsquo;ve been doing all year, come off the bench and provide energy," Portis said. &ldquo;It's fun to be on this team. We have a lot of unselfish guys that love to pass the basketball.&rdquo;
The Sixers pulled within six points with 7 seconds remaining in the game against the Bucks reserves, prompting Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer to reinsert his starters to close out the game.
&ldquo;It was a strange game after the big early lead,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy in this league to play with a lead.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Former Bucks player George Hill started for Simmons. ... G/F Furkan Korkmaz was inactive after spraining an ankle against Phoenix on Wednesday night. ... Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver was signed to a second 10-day deal.
Bucks: Reported no injuries before the game. ... Antetokounmpo didn&rsquo;t appear limited after missing the final four minutes of overtime of Monday&rsquo;s game against Phoenix after experiencing what he described as a cramp in his calf. ... Signed F Justin Jackson to a two-way contract. Jackson fills the spot of F Mamadi Diakite, who signed a multiyear standard NBA contract with the team.
3-POINT BARRAGE
The teams combined to make 21 of 33 3-pointers in the first half. Milwaukee shot 13 of 21, with Brook Lopez shooting 4 of 5 from deep.
BENCH BRINGS IT
The bench accounted for half of the Sixers' points in the first half, tallying 30 of the 60 racked up in the first two quarters. For the game, the Sixers reserves scored 58 points, with Milton leading the way with 20. Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott each had 11 points.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Khris Middleton had 24 as the Bucks defeated the 76ers in a matchup of two of the East's best.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Bucks 'locked in from the start' in win vs. 76ers

The 2021 NBA Finals tip off tonight with the Phoenix Suns hosting the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1. With Giannis Antetokounmpo still nursing a knee injury, DraftKings Sportsbook has made Phoenix a -200 favorite to win the NBA Finals. On the flip side, Milwaukee sits at +165 to win it all.
As for tonight&rsquo;s game, the big question remains: Can Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton step up in Giannis&rsquo; absence against a better defense? Let&rsquo;s take a look at who has the edge in Game 1 and find out the <a href="https://betql.co/nba/odds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetQL&rsquo;s best bets</a> for this playoff matchup.
Game Preview
Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns (-6, 219.5)
Both of these teams have been statistically great on both ends of the floor so this should be a competitive series, especially if Giannis can comeback in Game 3 as some of the rumors are indicating.
Offensively, Milwaukee ranks first in points scored and field goals made, second in rebounds, third in field goal percentage, fourth in three-point percentage and sixth in offensive rating.&nbsp;
On defense, the Bucks rank fifth in opponent field goal percentage, seventh in steals, and 10th in defensive rating.
The home team tonight has similar balance, as well. On offense, Phoenix ranks second in field goals made, third in assists, fifth in offensive rating and seventh in points.
Defensively, the Suns rank fourth in assists allowed, fifth in opponent three-point percentage, seventh in points allowed, and ninth in defensive rating.
Two X-Factors to keep an eye on for both Game 1 and the series as a whole is pace and three-point shooting. The Bucks love to play fast and rank second in pace. On the other hand, the Suns rank 26th in pace and like to play a more half-court brand of basketball. Whoever can impose their will on that side of the ball will control the series.
When it comes to shooting from deep, the Suns defend the three-point shot well, while the Bucks rank fifth in three-pointers made. But, in <a href="https://twitter.com/TrueHoop/status/1412424432228917251?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seven of their last 13 games</a>, Milwaukee has made fewer than 10 threes. That won't get the job done against a Phoenix team that is currently clicking on all cylinders.
The Suns are average when it comes to shooting from long range, but they&rsquo;ll need to shoot well to defeat this Bucks squad that does a great job of packing the paint. Gambling wise, the team that wins the three-point battle tonight will cover.
The public leans Phoenix in this spot with 55% of the tickets on them, including 77% of the handle. When it comes to the total, bettors are expecting a high-scoring game, with 64% of the tickets on the over.
With Giannis out, the Suns just have too much firepower in this matchup. It&rsquo;s tough to see Phoenix laying an egg, especially in front of their home crowd. Look for Devin Booker to have a huge game tonight, especially if Holiday guards Chris Paul to start the series.
Leans: Suns -6 and Under 219.5
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BetQL Model Predictions &amp; Picks
BetQL&rsquo;s NBA model has run 10,000 simulations of this game to provide insight on how the game will pan out, and after all those simulations, the model likes the Suns -6. Currently, the point spread of this game sits at +/- 6 with the Suns as home favorites. BetQL&rsquo;s model would have made Phoenix eight-point favorites tonight, meaning there is huge betting value on them at -6. Keep reading below to get picks from the experts at BetQL.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Against the Spread Pick:
The model is leaning towards the Suns with a 3-star rating on the game, and projects the final score to be Suns 113, Bucks 105. <a href="https://betql.co/nba/sharp-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to the expert bettors</a>, they are backing the Suns as of now too, but be sure to check back with BetQL to see the most updated odds, lines and spreads for this game before tip.
Over/Under Pick:
The over/under for this game is set at 219.5 points. The BetQL model recommends taking the under for this game. The BetQL team agrees with the model&rsquo;s 2-star play here and will be wagering on the under.
If you want to check out <a href="https://betql.co/nba/odds/totals-spread">BetQL&rsquo;s over under picks</a> for the rest of the NBA playoffs make sure to check out their site for those picks.&nbsp;
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Prop Bet Spotlight
The BetQL computer model has identified a 5-star prop that the team likes for tonight&rsquo;s matchup in Cameron Payne Over 11.5 Points, Rebounds &amp; Assists (-113). He went over that mark the one time he faced the Bucks earlier this season. Payne also averaged over this number against the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals.
Pick: The BetQL team is backing the model and taking Payne to go over his 11.5 PRA mark.
As a BasketballNews.com reader, you can get access to BetQL with 30% off when you use the code BBN30, check out BetQL and win the rest of your bets for the playoffs

Ahead of Game 1 of the Finals, we examine betting trends and the impact of Giannis Antetokounmpo's uncertain status is having.

Everything you need to know ahead of Bucks-Suns NBA Finals Game 1

There&rsquo;s no better motivation than having your heart ripped out. And that&rsquo;s why I picked the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
The job is far from over. It might take six games, it could take seven, but at least through the first five games of the series, it&rsquo;s became obvious that the Bucks had something extra, something deep down inside that was motivating them.
It&rsquo;s pain. And I can tell you that from experience.
Nothing against Phoenix, but as a whole, with the exception of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, the Suns aren&rsquo;t a team that has taken their lumps and learned the hard lessons of what it takes to overcome adversity and succeed in the playoffs.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, knows it all too well. That&rsquo;s why they just refuse to quit.
During my career, I was fortunate enough to have some great teammates, and with Jason Kidd, Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles and Richard Jefferson, I was able to help the Nets get to back-to-back Finals in 2002 and 2003.
In 2002, we were a really young team that hadn&rsquo;t been there before &mdash; none of us. The Lakers, on the other hand, won two championships in a row and were looking for their three-peat. They put foot to ass for four games straight and swept us. From that series, I learned what a complete team looks like. We had pieces, but we found out the hard way that we were missing a few things, including the experience.
When people think about Shaq and Kobe, they remember the three-peat and all that, but they don&rsquo;t remember that they had a couple early exits, too. The Lakers went 61-21 in the 1997-98 season and got swept by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals that year.
So yeah, Shaq and Kobe beat us down, but by that time, they were seasoned. But you know what? The next year, we used that as motivation.
Losing, especially when you&rsquo;re favored and definitely when you lose in the Finals, changes you as a player. You work for years to get the opportunity to win a championship, and when you fall short time after time&hellip; Man, it just hits you differently when you get right there on the doorstep. It&rsquo;s the equivalent of your bride or your groom not showing up on your wedding day.
We had that chip on our shoulder the entire next year, and when the 2003 playoffs came around, we were a different team. We were tired of hearing people question our toughness and our talent. We found a different gear.
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In the first round, we split the first four games with Milwaukee, but then we won our next 10 games in a row. We took Game 5 and Game 6 of that series, then swept the Celtics and Pistons in the next two rounds. We got back to the Finals, but this time, we had to play San Antonio.
Obviously, we couldn&rsquo;t get over the hump. We split the first two games in San Antonio, but then lost two out of the three on our home floor. We went back to San Antonio for Game 6 and Game 7 behind in the series, 3-2. And couldn&rsquo;t force a Game 7.
The next season, our head coach Byron Scott got fired and we lost to the Pistons in seven games in the second round. I really thought we were close in Jersey, but, that&rsquo;s the thing about the NBA: you never know when you might be on your last chance.
The front office there shook things up a bit and I ended up signing with Denver. I never got back to the Finals again.
That&rsquo;s the thing with Giannis and the Bucks &mdash; these guys have been through it. They&rsquo;ve been favored, had the best record, got swept, been doubted, and they just keep coming back.
When they were down 3-2 to Brooklyn in the second round, there was something about them that just wouldn&rsquo;t let them quit, and they&rsquo;ve developed amazing resolve. That can be said of the front office, too.
Some teams would&rsquo;ve considered making wholesale changes, but they stuck with the core and allowed them to develop. They exercised some patience and continued to build around Giannis and found ways to bring in guys like Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker. Most importantly, they re-signed Khris Middleton when he was a free agent back in 2019.
They gave Giannis every opportunity to finish what he started, and it&rsquo;s fitting considering the fact that they saw something in him from the very beginning.
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In 2014, my career was winding down, and I got an opportunity to sign with Milwaukee. Although my time there was short, I was able to spend some time with Giannis. He had just one season under his belt, but the staff there was working so hard to develop him and bring his talent out. His dedicated work ethic and positive attitude were there from Day 1, but the staff was utilizing advanced stats and all kind of metrics to build him individual workout regimens, provide nutritional guidance and schedules for when he should do his work.
So yeah, man, even though I was only there for a short time, I saw when they started laying the foundation. There&rsquo;s no shortcuts to becoming a champion. Title teams are built and developed.
Along the way, you&rsquo;re gonna take some bumps and bruises, but you know what? You&rsquo;re gonna learn. And in those lessons, you&rsquo;re gonna find the extra motivation that you need to get the job done.
Giannis just hyperextended his knee not too long ago, yet somehow, he found the ability to have the biggest defensive play of the series against Deandre Ayton and be the most impactful two-way player on the floor.
So I guess what I&rsquo;m saying is that I believe in Milwaukee because I know what&rsquo;s motivating them. They paid their dues and they&rsquo;re able to use their past failures as fuel to get them through those tough times when things aren&rsquo;t in their favor.
It&rsquo;s nothing against Phoenix, as a unit, they just haven&rsquo;t been there yet. And while they obviously still got a shot to win this series, in the end, in a way, I think Milwaukee&rsquo;s past failures are what&rsquo;s gonna be able to get them through the storm and make the difference when it&rsquo;s all said and done.

They may get down, but they're never out. The resilient Milwaukee Bucks are tired of falling short, writes Kenyon Martin.

Behind Giannis, Milwaukee is proving that failure is the best teacher

Mikal Bridges is ready to ascend up the ladder of the best two-way wings in the NBA. In order to reach that high benchmark, Bridges must undergo an offensive metamorphosis.
The No. 10 overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft is already one of the best defenders for his position. Bridges was robbed of an NBA All-Defensive Team spot due to name notoriety, as Kawhi Leonard earned the final wing spot over the lanky 24-year-old.
Speaking of that length, Bridges has become a weapon in knowing how to use it. Possessing a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Bridges harasses lead ball-handlers off the point of attack and players who try to find openings around the perimeter. Entering the league from Villanova &mdash; a factory for producing NBA-ready prospects &mdash; Bridges immediately made an impact for Phoenix as a high-IQ defender who knew how to produce efficient looks on the offensive end. Already a supreme cutter, Bridges capitalized on knowing when to dive towards the basket when his matchup least expected it.
One point of contention for Bridges that stunted his early professional development as a three-level scorer revolved around a hitch in his shot, which was tweaked during the pre-draft process. Bridges&rsquo; mechanics looked nothing like the buttery-smooth, rapid-fire motion on display at Villanova. Instead, Bridges would slowly load up and bring his elbow in front of his face and crank it like a catapult. It was an ugly form, but Bridges&rsquo; tireless work ethic helped get rid of the issue midway through his sophomore campaign. For over a year and a half, Phoenix was waiting for "Villanova" Bridges to arrive.
In 2020-21, that version of Bridges returned full-time with a vengeance, averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks. Notably, he converted on 42.5% on three-pointers at high volume, a massive jump as a perimeter scorer from 33.5% in his rookie season and 36.1% the year after.
Bridges was always built to play on a winning team that sustained success for multiple years. He showed it at Villanova, and now, with the Suns, he's repeated history with the team making an NBA Finals appearance in its first playoff berth since 2010. Devin Booker and Chris Paul are the pistons that keep the Suns&rsquo; engine running. Deandre Ayton is the group of tires keeping it on the road as an interior force on both ends of the court. Meanwhile, Bridges is all the safety features in the vehicle.
He helps cover up problems when they arise, or helps avoid them altogether. With an extremely savvy ability to read the game, Bridges is Inspector Gadget-like with his freakish wingspan, making sure everything goes off without a hitch. As he showcased throughout last season, Bridges <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mikal-bridges-phoenix-suns-breakout-season-three-point-shooting-pick-and-roll-defense-deandre-ayton-turnover-percentage-monty-williams-chris-paul-villanova-jay-wright-ashley-howard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is an underrated piece to the Suns&rsquo; puzzle</a>. Moving forward, entering his age-25 season, Bridges figures to play an even more prominent role over the next few years as Paul ages falling back further into a secondary action.
(Editor's Note: BasketballNews.com's Spencer Davies <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mikal-bridges-phoenix-suns-breakout-season-three-point-shooting-pick-and-roll-defense-deandre-ayton-turnover-percentage-monty-williams-chris-paul-villanova-jay-wright-ashley-howard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with Mikal Bridges early last season</a> to discuss his potential as a player and Phoenix's long-term picture.)
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Mikal Bridges STEPPED UP tonight for Phoenix 🗣 27 points 7 rebounds 8/15 FG 3/9 3PT 8/8 FT Difference maker. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>)<a href="https://t.co/b5MqMB4tO1">pic.twitter.com/b5MqMB4tO1</a>
&mdash; Overtime (@overtime) <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1413341093203267592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Bridges is projected to be a restricted free agent after next season, but Phoenix will hammer out extensions with its franchise-altering 2018 draft class before the regular season begins. There&rsquo;s no way either one of Ayton or Bridges will even sniff the potential of restricted free agency. Phoenix will pay the young duo on potential, banking on an even more fruitful run throughout the 2020s and beyond.
Ayton is set to receive a five-year max extension, while Bridges figures to make between $20-to-$25 million over a new four-year deal. For Bridges, that number may be viewed as too high on the annual value spectrum, but the Suns&rsquo; starting small forward is just now beginning his evolution as a more aggressive basketball player.
Bridges brings the tenacity each game as a defender, but too often will he disappear into his own shell. The 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks showed the best example of Bridges&rsquo; somewhat frustrating offensive flow. In Game 2, Bridges scored a playoff-best 27 points on 15 field goal attempts. Then, in Game 3, Bridges went 2-of-4 for four total points. Far too often right now does Bridges rely on others to help him create opportunities on the offensive end. Last season, 85% of Bridges&rsquo; shots were assisted, per Cleaning The Glass. Throughout Bridges&rsquo; career, that number has been above 80%, showing that he knows how to flow within an offensive structure and his role, but not really knowing when to assert his own shot flow. As a low-usage player, Bridges doesn&rsquo;t need many chances to impact the box score, which is fully on display with his elite defensive tendencies.
However, if the Suns end up coughing over a $100-plus million extension to Bridges prior to the 2021-22 campaign, he will need to become a more well-rounded offensive player who can impact games outside of structure when necessary. For the Suns, Bridges being aggressive has shown magnificent success. Last season, Phoenix was 34-7 when Bridges attempted at least 10 shots in a game. Over an 82-game sample size, that&rsquo;s a dominant 68-14 record. Aggressive Bridges is the unlocking point for the Suns becoming an even more impressive team following their surprising rise up the Western Conference standings last season.
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Bridges is just now scratching the surface of his offensive outlook. Only seven wings averaged at least 10 points, 1 steal and shot 40% on three-pointers during the 2020-21 campaign: Paul George, Khris Middleton, Gordon Hayward, Bojan Bogdanovic, Norman Powell, Evan Fournier and Bridges. That&rsquo;s a super impressive list to be a part of, and it gets even more promising for Bridges&rsquo; future scoring ceiling when you factor in wings under age 25 to do this over the last decade: Wesley Matthews, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, Middleton, Fournier, Otto Porter Jr., Gary Harris, Jayson Tatum and Bridges.
At the moment, Bridges&rsquo; game best mirrors Porter off the players mentioned. Both players are plus-40% three-point shooters that provide ample defensive versatility. Bridges right now is a better, more well-rounded version of Porter. However, both players struggle to create their own shot consistently. Washington matched a four-year, $106 million offer sheet from Brooklyn in restricted free agency on Porter in 2017. Quickly, the Wizards offloaded Porter&rsquo;s contract to Chicago when they realized his offense wasn&rsquo;t going to leap forward to an even higher level.
Phoenix hopes that isn&rsquo;t the case for Bridges, and he&rsquo;s shown already exactly what a future could look like with him being more of a primary option offensively. Bridges will always be the third option in Phoenix behind Booker and Ayton, but he&rsquo;s absolutely perfect in that role while maintaining All-Defense production on the other end of the court.
If the offense eventually clicks for Bridges, he has all the makings of a Middleton-like player &mdash; someone who can drop 18-20 points on any given night while holding up defensively. Middleton showcased in the Finals what Bridges&rsquo; ceiling could eventually be.
If Bridges ever reaches those levels as a scoring threat, Phoenix is going to become a juggernaut that rules the West for the next decade. Bridges is the lynchpin to how high the Suns&rsquo; eventual ceiling could truly become.

Mikal Bridges is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA. If he takes a scoring leap, the potential is sky-high for the lanky forward.

Mikal Bridges' offensive metamorphosis could make Suns a juggernaut

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Chris Paul and his 36-year-old legs climbed onto the podium at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. He was asked to reminisce about things that have changed in his game during the past 16 years.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not as athletic as I was then,&rdquo; Paul said grinning.
But what he lacks in athleticism, he&rsquo;s made up for in other ways. He was fantastic in Game 1 on Tuesday night, finishing with 32 points and nine assists&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chris-paul-carries-phoenix-suns-past-giannis-antetokounmpo-milwaukee-bucks-in-nba-finals-opener" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to lead the Suns to a 118-105 victory</a>&nbsp;over the Milwaukee Bucks.
He is one of several 30-somethings in these playoffs proving that older legs and a little savvy can still carry teams a long way. Paul is looking to lead the way again in Game 2 Thursday night.
Three of the Bucks&rsquo; starting five &mdash; Jrue Holiday, P.J. Tucker and Brook Lopez &mdash; are at least 30 and a fourth, Khris Middleton, will turn 30 this summer. Backup point guard Jeff Teague recently turned 33.
Paul is the oldest player on the Suns, but rotation players Jae Crowder and Torrey Craig are also in their 30s.
The veterans had mixed results in Game 1.
Paul was the unquestioned star, shooting 12-of-19 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Lopez was solid for the Bucks, scoring 17 points and making three three-pointers.
Others struggled: Crowder scored just one point on a free throw and was 0-of-8 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts. Holiday hit just 4-of-14 shots.
Tucker was his usual self, providing valuable defense and toughness for the Bucks. He added seven points.
And with so much experience on that court, no one expects the upcoming games to be easy.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a very hard series,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;These guys played very hard. They are a good team and they have very good players. I think the physicality and the way the game was played was high-level; you respect that.&rdquo;
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MIND GAMES
It was absurdly loud from the moment Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped to the line for his first free throw attempt in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
It sounded like everyone of the 17,000 strong at Phoenix Suns Arena started counting &mdash; screaming out the seconds as Antetokounmpo went through his lengthy routine. By the end of the game, it was deafening and the crowd roared each time he missed.
It&rsquo;s hard to say if it had much of a direct effect; Antetokounmpo was 7-of-12 from the line. He&rsquo;s struggled shooting free throws the past two playoff series, making just 44-of-88 (50%) against the Nets and the Hawks. He&rsquo;s made 72% from free throw line in his career.
Antetokounmpo admits he couldn&rsquo;t help but hear the countdown. He also knows it will continue during games in Phoenix.
&ldquo;Of course, 20,000 people yelling, 'one, two, three, four,' you notice that,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;But as I said, like I&rsquo;ve learned to embrace it. Like, I know it&rsquo;s not going to stop.&rdquo;
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OLYMPICS GOT NEXT
Suns guard Devin Booker has a message for the USA basketball team: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be there.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve reached out to Coach Pop,&rdquo; Booker said of national team coach Gregg Popovich. &ldquo;I reached out to (Jerry) Colangelo just recently and then I told them I saw all the guys reported to Vegas, and the only other place I would rather be is the Finals. But I would love to be there with the guys and I&rsquo;ll be there soon.&rdquo;
The logistics of getting from the NBA Finals to Tokyo could be tight if the series goes all seven games. Game 7 is scheduled for July 22 and the first game for USA Basketball at the Olympics is July 25. Holiday and Middleton could be in the same situation for the Bucks.
But Booker made it clear he&rsquo;s looking forward to the experience.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s the most prestigious event that basketball can find,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;So to be a part of representing your country I think brings you to a whole other stratosphere. Just thinking of the guys that have come before us and represented our country, and I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s anything better than winning a gold medal.&rdquo;
BY THE NUMBERS
2 &mdash; Vintage shirts Booker has worn to NBA Finals news conferences. They&rsquo;re from the early 1990s, when the Suns had Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers. The Suns last made the Finals in 1993.
96.2% &mdash; The Suns are usually a very good team at free throws and showed it in Game 1, making 25 in row before Jae Crowder missed the final attempt of the night. It would have been a Finals record had Crowder knocked down No. 26.

There are quite a few older veterans who are key contributors in this NBA Finals series between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

Suns-Bucks Notebook: 30-somethings abound in NBA Finals

The two regular-season games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns this season fit the same script. Both were extremely high scoring. Both went down to the wire. Both saw Phoenix win by a single point, with a free throw by Devin Booker ending up as the game-winner each time.
There was also this: Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn&rsquo;t be guarded in either game.
And now, it&rsquo;s the Bucks and Suns &mdash; forever tied together after Milwaukee won a 1969 coin flip after the teams&rsquo; first seasons for Lew Alcindor &mdash; in the NBA Finals, with Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s status a major question.
The NBA&rsquo;s title series is set: Game 1 between the Bucks and Suns will be in Phoenix on Tuesday night, the last matchup of this compressed season that navigated its way through the coronavirus pandemic, players and coaches testing positive for COVID-19, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a slew of injuries to some of the game&rsquo;s biggest stars</a> &mdash; Antetokounmpo and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul included.
Paul is back, set to play in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.
Antetokounmpo can only hope to be that fortunate.
The two-time NBA MVP averaged 40 points on 60% shooting against the Suns this season, but hyperextended his left knee during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta. The Bucks went 2-0 in the two full games that Antetokounmpo missed to win that series in six games, eliminating the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday night and earning the team&rsquo;s first NBA Finals berth since 1974.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got more work to do,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said during the East trophy ceremony.
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The Bucks lost 125-124 in Phoenix on Feb. 10, then lost 128-127 to the Suns in overtime at Milwaukee on April 19.
Milwaukee won its lone NBA title in 1971. The Suns have never won a championship, last getting to the Finals in 1993. They also lost the Finals in 1976.
The Bucks advancing to the NBA Finals means USA Basketball will be more than a bit short-handed when it starts Olympic training camp in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The U.S. has a<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/boredom-is-one-enemy-team-usa-must-fight-at-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 12-man team for the Tokyo Games</a> &mdash; and three of those 12, the Suns&rsquo; Booker and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday &mdash; will be otherwise engaged for the next few days.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals, if the series goes the distance, would be July 22. The Olympics open July 23 and the first U.S. game in Tokyo is July 25 against France. USA Basketball will arrange to get Booker, Middleton and Holiday to Tokyo as quickly as possible if the American team leaves for Japan while the finals are still happening.
&ldquo;It could be worse,&rdquo; USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. &ldquo;I guess one option is we&rsquo;re going to have nine players for the first game against France. That&rsquo;s the worst-case scenario.&rdquo;
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No player on either team has ever won an NBA championship. Nobody on the Bucks' roster has ever appeared in the NBA Finals; Milwaukee is hoping to join the 2015 Golden State Warriors as recent teams that won the championship despite having zero Finals experience.
The Suns have only one player with previous NBA Finals experience: Jae Crowder, who went to the Finals with Miami last season. Then, he chose to sign a three-year deal with Phoenix last offseason.
&ldquo;I knew our potential,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;I knew where we could get to, the level of basketball we could play, when I first got here. I just knew it was a special group. I knew we had a chance to do something special.&rdquo;
The Suns indeed have that chance.
So, now, do the Bucks.
One of them is only four wins from hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy.

The Suns are hoping to win their first-ever NBA title, and the Bucks haven't won since 1971. No player on either team has won a ring.

The 2021 NBA Finals are set: Bucks-Suns should be interesting

Chris Paul is now favored to win the NBA Finals MVP award, one day after he and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns were co-favorites in the legalized U.S. sports gambling market.
Both were 2-1 (+200) on Friday, but on Saturday, the market had shifted with Paul going to +175 and Booker to +230 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Deandre Ayton is the only other Phoenix player with odds lower than 100-1, sitting on DraftKings&rsquo; board at +2500.
The start date of the NBA Finals is not yet known because we still must learn whether the Milwaukee Bucks can finish off the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 tonight or whether the series will return to Milwaukee for a Game 7 on Monday night. Atlanta is favored by 2 points despite Trae Young being listed as questionable. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks is out with a hyperextended knee.
It is unknown whether Antetokounmpo will even be able to play again this postseason after injuring his knee in Game 4, yet he is the third choice on the Finals MVP wagering board at +400, followed by teammates Khris Middleton at +700 and Jrue Holiday at +1200.
Young is +1600, and no other players are lower than 100-1 at DraftKings.
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Paul has accounted for 25% of the handle and 15% of the bets at DraftKings, said spokesman Stephen Miraglia. Booker&rsquo;s percentages are 10% of handle and 12% of bets; Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s percentages are 8 and 6; Young&rsquo;s are 7 and 5, Middleton&rsquo;s are 6 and 6 and Ayton&rsquo;s are 3% of handle and 5% of bets.
So, the way the sportsbooks see it, only six or seven guys have a chance at the award. Somewhere in America, Andre Iguodala is rolling his eyes. So, too, perhaps, are Cameron Johnson, Bobby Portis and P.J. Tucker, all of whom are 500-1 at DraftKings. The longest odds anywhere are +12500 on Lou Williams, Onyeka Okongwu, Tony Snell and Solomon Hill at Bet MGM, which has Giannis listed at only +275.
The last five NBA Finals MVPs (LeBron James twice, Kevin Durant twice and Kawhi Leonard once) have averaged at least 25.0 points per game in the postseason. However, six years ago, Iguodala averaged only 7.8 points and still won the award for his defense against James, a four-time Finals MVP. Nobody had ever won the award before with a scoring average in single figures.
It is notable that Ayton is taking 5% of the bets, because his price is enticing.
When the Suns played the Bucks during the regular season, Ayton had 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the first game, a 125-124 Phoenix victory. In their second meeting, he had 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds in a 128-127 Suns overtime victory.
When the Suns played the Hawks, Ayton had 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 117-110 victory, and then 7 points and 8 rebounds in a 135-103 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta. (Clint Capela shot 8-for-11 and had 18 points in that second game with 10 rebounds, so it should be noted that his odds for Finals MVP are +25000 at BetMGM and FanDuel.)
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But first things first, which is getting to the NBA Finals.
The Bucks and Hawks are still not there yet, and if Atlanta wins tonight, we have to prepare for an epic Game 7 on Monday. That is a lot of time for the odds to move, and given the popularity of Paul, his odds may get even shorter.
No matter who comes out of the East, it is worth noting that Jae Crowder, who would draw the defensive assignment on Antetokounmpo if the Suns play the Bucks, is not even on the board at DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook. BetMGM.com has Crowder listed at +12500 and Brook Lopez listed at +6600.
DraftKings and Fan Duel both have Lopez at +10000. If he continues shooting 93%, that is not a bad bet.

Chris Paul is now favored to win the NBA Finals MVP award. He has accounted for 25% of the handle and 15% of the bets at DraftKings.

Khris