For Thursday, Jason Radowitz has your Bucks vs. Suns Game 2 Bet of the Day: Best Bets for the NBA Finals. All odds for NBA Bet of the Day: Best Bets Today 7/8/21 were provided by our friends at BetMGM.
The Phoenix Suns took a 1-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals on Tuesday night behind a historic 32-point performance from Chris Paul, who became one of the oldest players in NBA history to score 30+ points in a Finals game. The Suns now have a 34-10 record at home (incl. regular- and post-season) and have been terrific at clinching close contests, going 15-7 in games decided by less than four points.
The Suns will be home again for Game 2, and this time, they’ll know to prepare for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a game-time decision for the series opener with a knee injury. It was thought that he would hurt Milwaukee’s chances of winning rather than helping due to his health, and while he looked solid on the court, that thought could still be valid.
Bucks vs Suns Game 2 Bet of the Day: NBA Finals Game 2 Best Bets
The result never really looked in doubt for Phoenix, as the Suns took control early on and established a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Paul was the man of the hour, but the Suns got several other high-level performances from their players that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Deandre Ayton scored 22 points and secured a game-high 19 rebounds. Devin Booker poured in 27 points despite going just 1-8 from three-point range.
On the other hand, Jae Crowder went 0-8 from the field and 0-5 from deep, which was unexpected given his recent showings. Over his previous 10 games, Crowder had been sinking 2.4 threes per game on 42.1% shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite Booker and Crowder shooting an uncharacteristic 1-13 from long range, the Suns were still able to take this one, which is a big accomplishment. Of course, you can thank Paul and Ayton.
On Milwaukee’s end, it was great to see Antetokounmpo back in the lineup. While it wasn’t his best game of the playoffs, he made more of an impact than many would’ve thought given the circumstances, collecting 20 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes. Khris Middleton has been streaky this playoffs and really did as much as he could, scoring 29 points in a losing effort.
The Bucks will need more scoring out of Jrue Holiday moving forward. He posted just 10 points and shot 4-14 from the floor.
NBA Finals Game 2 Bet of the Day: Jrue Holiday
Over 33.5 Points + Assists + Rebounds (-110)
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The Bucks had serious production from their bench with a combined 22 points between Bobby Portis, Jeff Teague, Pat Connaughton, and Bryn Forbes. But after losing the first game of the series, the bench is about to get thinner and the starting lineup will start to play more.
Holiday was the star for the Bucks, even in the loss. He shot extremely poor but still flirted with a triple-double, scoring 10 points, while assisting on nine baskets and rebounding seven shots.
If the Bucks want any chance at winning, Holiday is going to have to step up. He averaged 17.7 points per game on the season, but managed to bump that up to 22 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals to go along with 10 assists.
There’s a reason why Holiday had more rebounds than Brook Lopez. Lopez hangs out around the perimeter while Holiday is way more aggressive.
It’s unlikely that Holiday shoots 4-14 from the field with no made three-pointers in this next game. He’s a guy that will play most of the game and do a little bit of everything. Therefore, Holiday should be able to get over on his points/rebounds/assist prop at 33.5.
NBA Finals Game 2 Bet of the Day: P.J. Tucker
Over 4.5 Points (-140)
NBA Finals Game 2 Bet of the Day: Khris Middleton
Over 25.5 Points (-110)
NBA Finals Game 2 Bet of the Day: Jae Crowder
Over 2.5 Threes Made (+100)
In the regular season, Crowder averaged 2.5 threes per game while shooting 38.9% from long range. Crowder missed all five of his attempts in Game 1, but seeing that he stayed confident in his shot is encouraging.
The Bucks aren’t known for their defense — especially against three-point shooting. As a unit, they allow more three-pointers per game than any other team in the league. The Suns shot just 32.4 percent from long range in Game 1 despite posting the seventh-best three-point percentage in the regular season, signaling that a change may come in Game 2.
It starts with Crowder — he’s got to set the tone from deep. Given that he’s the only player on Phoenix’s roster with prior experience in the NBA Finals, he should be up for the moment and ready to bounce back for Game 2.
Milwaukee Bucks: Game 2 Keys To Victory
- The Bucks will need to keep the Suns off the foul line: Remember this key from Game 1? It’s sticking around for Game 2. The Bucks didn’t keep the Suns off the line. Instead, the Suns went 25-26 from the stripe, while the Bucks were 9-16. That’s the difference in the ball game.
- Keep Shooting: The Bucks went 16-36 (44.4%) from three in Game 1. It’s unknown if they’ll be able to repeat those numbers, but if shots are falling early, the Bucks should absolutely continue to take threes.
- Get out to an early lead: The Suns won the first, second and third quarters of Game 1. By the time the final frame came around, the Bucks were down by 16. Milwaukee needs to come out with urgency and take the lead early in this game, especially being on the road.
Phoenix Suns: Game 2 Keys To Victory
- Stop rushing three-point shots: Outside of Paul, it seemed like the Suns rushed their three-point shots, going just 11-34 from deep. Crowder and Booker, along with Mikal Bridges, need to combine for a higher percentage.
- Keep Ayton out of foul trouble: Look what happens when Ayton plays 40 minutes a night! He produces. He only took 10 shots all game, but he took high quality shots and had an extremely strong performance. The Bucks don’t have an answer for him. Lopez does not play like a center, and Antetokounmpo is too banged to battle with Ayton down low. If Ayton can stay out of foul trouble, the Suns will be in good shape. He’s making great decisions with the ball.
- Don’t fix what’s not broken: The Suns won Game 1 by being the more aggressive team. They got to the line way more frequently and cashed in when they got there. Keep being aggressive and win the free-throw battle. Free points at the charity stripe always win games.
