NBA Finals: The Suns stay hot long enough to hold off a comeback from the Bucks in Game 1
Phoenix, Arizona - The Phoenix Suns have taken Game 1 of the NBA Finals over the Milwaukee Bucks, holding off a late-game comeback attempt to seal the deal at home.
Led by veteran point guard Chris Paul (36), the Suns jumped to a 1-0 series lead thanks to their 118-105 win over the Bucks on Tuesday night. Paul played an awesome game, leading all players with 32 points from 12-19 shooting, to go along with nine assists. Devin Booker was right behind him with 27 points as Phoenix had little problem "welcoming" Giannis Antetokounmpo back from injury with the Bucks.
Paul was the talk of game 1, appearing in his first-ever NBA Finals series, in his 16-year career. He and Suns got down to business as usual, playing as if there was no such thing as "big-stage jitters." Not a single player on either roster has won a title, much less even played in a Finals series, except for Phoenix’s Jae Crowder, who was with Miami last year, but you’d never know that judging by how in command the Suns were during much of the game.
The first half was tight, as each team tried to get a feel for the other, but the Suns still held the overall advantage. It was a different story after that, as Paul led the Suns’ rise to a lead that was as large as 20 points at one point. The Bucks weren’t out of it completely though, as they got the score as close as single digits midway through the fourth, but Paul was once again there to make sure that the Bucks wouldn’t prevail.
Six players for Phoenix got into double figures, including Deandre Ayton scoring 22 points and crashing the boards for 19 rebounds. For the Bucks, Khris Middleton led the way with 29 points, while Antetokounmpo, coming back to action from a hyperextended knee suffered in the East Finals, scored 20 points, to go along with his 17 rebounds.
These are obviously not the same old Suns, and they now have their first Game 1 Finals victory in franchise history to show for it.
The Suns look to take home-court advantage in game 2
Phoenix has a real chance to jump out to a two-game lead, by taking advantage of their home-court record. They've won seven out of nine at home during these playoffs, and they look focused on one thing and one thing only – their first ever NBA title.
"We're going to keep playing. This is just one game. We've got to stay locked in," said Paul in his postgame comments to ESPN.
Game 2 of the Finals is back in Phoenix on Thursday night.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Icon SMI