Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images Of course the Suns play a team whose primary color is green on St. Patty’s Day. Who: Phoenix Suns (39-28) @ Milwaukee Bucks (43-24) When: 10:00am AZ Time Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Watch: ABC Listen: KMVP 98.7, ESPN Radio 620AM Here we are, three years removed from the NBA Finals, and when you see the Bucks on the schedule, it still stings a bit. There will never be redemption for what happened in the 2021 NBA Finals. It was a specific place and time in which we came together and cheered on the surprising Suns in hopes that they would finally win their first championship. This is quite a different team now. On;y Devin Booker remains from that team. On the other side of the ball, the Bucks roster seven players who were in that series, six of whom were members of the Bucks. The seventh? Former Phoenix Sun starter Jae Crowder. It has been a season of adjustments for the Bucks following their acquisition of 8-time All-Star Damian Lillard. They’ve dismissed a coach along the way as Doc Rivers now runs the x’s and o’x for the team. All the while, they’ve been winning games, and find themselves with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix is at the end of a four-game road trip, and a win in Cream City would make it 3-1 on the East Coast swing. Playing the top three teams in the East on the trip, that would be quite an impressive run as they head back to the Valley to play the 76ers on Wednesday. The Suns did beat the Bucks earlier this season, holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to a mere 34 and 10. Khris Midleton exited that game with an ankle injury, you may recall, and 85 points by the Big Three led Phoenix to a 114-106 victory. https://www.youtube.com/embed/eIsWBtBZa5w?rel=0
Khris Middleton has missed the previous 16 games with the injury he sustained against the Suns on February 6. It appears that he will be back, however, returning to play the Suns. Milwaukee Bucks F Khris Middleton (ankle) plans to make his return to the lineup vs. the Phoenix Suns Sunday on ABC, he told reporters today.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 16, 2024 Probable Starters
Injury Report Suns: - Josh Okogie — OUT (Lower Abdominal Strain)
- Damion Lee — OUT (Right Meniscus Surgery)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — QUESTIONABLE (Hamstring)
- Malik Beasley — QUESTIONABLE (Back)
- Marjon Beauchamp — QUESTIONABLE (Back)
- Chris Livingston — OUT (Ankle)
What to Watch For Can the Suns stop Giannis? I feel like I’ve typing those words for a decade. Giannis is starting to lock in as the team prepares for the postseason. The team is 8-3 since the All-Star break and Giannis is second in the league in scoring, averaging 31 points and 11.1 rebounds in those 11 games. https://www.youtube.com/embed/P-GG5NdRA34?rel=0
The team can be an offensive juggernaut. With Giannis powering the way and Damian Lillard adding 25.0 points per game, they can put the ball in the bucket. Add to the fact that Malik Beasley is having a career year from beyond the arc (43.2%) and Phoenix will have their hands full on the perimeter. How do the Bucks rank in some offensive statistical categories?
- 49.0 FG% (7th)
- 14.3 3PM (5th), 38.1 3PA (6th), 37.4 3PT% (10th)
- 25.2 FTA (1st)
- 34.9 DREB (2nd)
- 120.4 PPG (4th)
The Phoenix Big Three will need to be much sharper than they were in Charlotte on Friday night. The three combined for just 39 points. Prediction Can Phoenix win the game? Sure. They can win any game. They have the talent, each and every night, to go out and win. Will they? This is where I struggle. You simply never know which team is going to show up for the Suns. Will it be the locked-in and engaged version? Or will they play disinterested? There is one factor here that I will use to sway my opinion. The Suns are 9-4 this season on Sundays. That trend continues again today. Suns 118, Bucks 116 Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024 ... cks-on-abc