NBA: The efforts of Giannis insufficient; Suns lead 2-0 in NBA Finals

Summary

The Phoenix Suns can almost touch the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Devin Booker scored 31 points, Chris Paul scored 23 and the Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 Thursday night in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

The Suns took a 2-0 lead in the final, which now travels to Milwaukee for the first time since 1974.

“We know it’s getting noisy in Milwaukee, but I think we’re ready for it,” Booker said.

The Arizona squad saw an offensive surge late in the first half, withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s effort to bring the Bucks back into the game, and came out triumphant as her fans whirled orange towels.

Antetokounmpo concluded the game with 42 points and 12 rebounds, in his second game since missing two games with a left knee hyperextension suffered against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Suns had never taken a lead in the NBA Finals in their history, but they signed a victory of 118-105 in the first match.

In their last two appearances in the final, in 1976 and 1993, they had escaped the first two clashes and they had not signed more than two victories.

Booker had seven three-pointers and the Suns made 20 of their 40 shots from beyond the arch. Mikal Bridges added 27 points as Paul finished the game with eight assists.

Jrue Holiday was more aggressive for the Bucks, but he wasn’t more effective in his shots. He had 17 points, making seven of his 21 shots. Khris Middleton made five of his 16 shots, forcing Antetokounmpo to carry the team on his shoulders.

The Bucks will now have to attempt to overcome a 0-2 delay in a series for a second time this year. They had hit the Brooklyn Nets in one of the Eastern Conference’s two semifinals, but they had the help of injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Mike Budenholzer’s squad are now up against the Suns made up of several offensive weapons and they showed it by passing the ball very well in the first two duels of the final.

They circulated the ball along the perimeter to register the last basket of the first half. The ball went through the hands of every Suns player on the pitch and it was Deandre Ayton who put the finishing touches with 14.9 seconds to go, giving his team a 56-45 lead at the break.

The Bucks can only dream of a similar balloon distribution. Antetokounmpo (15) had more than twice as many shots as any other player on the Milwaukee team.

The Suns gave themselves a 65-50 lead thanks to a strong start to the third quarter, but Antetokounmpo kept the game close to the Bucks by amassing 20 of his squad’s 33 points during that span.

The Bucks came within six points of the Suns in the fourth quarter, but Paul and Bridges put in a basket to increase the lead to 11 points.