NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns Preview, Odds, Prediction

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks travel to Arizona to face the Phoenix Suns, one of the teams that made massive progress compared to the previous year. The Suns indicated their rise during the bubble in Orlando, but showed full potential this season. Meanwhile, we all know what the qualities of the franchise from Fiserv Forum are, and it is about time for them to take a step forward and attack the title finally.

Preview

Milwaukee Bucks (16-8, -185) has five straight wins, three latest on the road. Mike Budenholzer’s side defeated twice in a row Cleveland in Ohio, and smashed Denver Nuggets in Colorado.

During this victorious stretch, the Bucks scored at least 123 points in each game, proving that they are arguably the best offensive team in the league. Once looking at the stats, Milwaukee is a one-person show, with Giannis leading the way in almost every category.

However, the sidekicks here are very important, and even though Giannis has the best stats in the team, the remaining players’ contribution is of crucial importance. Khris Middleton’s role is the No.1 item when talking about that. The All-Star forward scores 20.8 points per night, with 6.1 rebounds and 6 assists.

Against the Nuggets, he had 29 with 12 assists and 8 rebounds, and the Bucks won without any problems. Middleton took the responsibility in the game0defining moments and was sent to the foul line 11 times. He wouldn’t miss a single shot from the same.

Phoenix Suns (14-9, +165) has three straight wins, six in the past seven games. Monty Williams’ unit beat Golden State, Dallas twice, Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland Cavaliers during that time. The last three victories came at home.

A huge handicap for them on Wednesday’s event will be Chris Paul’s absence. The veteran point guard is probably out due to his hamstring injury, which is a massive problem for the hosts. Paul averages 16.4 points per night and is the team’s second-best scorer, adding 8.2 assists with 4.6 rebounds.

But more than that, he is the leader of the unit and the one who calls the play. Paul’s experience improved the Suns enormously, and without him involved, this squad is at least 30% weaker. We saw Phoenix competing quite solid without Devin Booker, but without CP, that is hardly going to be the case.

Head to Head

Last year, both sides had one win each, with the note that the home-court advantage played a huge role. Bucks were better at Fiserv Forum, 129-108, while Suns beat Giannis and the boys in Arizona, 140-131.

Prediction

Playing without Paul is a pretty big issue for Phoenix, especially vs. the Bucks, who are in superb shape. Even with CP3 involved, the chances for the victory would be heavily on Milwaukee’s side. We respect the Suns, and their youth and quality, but here we have to be rational and go with the team from Wisconsin. Giannis is unstoppable, Middleton is firing on all cylinders, while Phoenix won’t have the player who is pretty much the brain of all the operations.