This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
On Thursday, July 9, 2021, the Phoenix Suns secured a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points, while Chris Paul added 23 points and eight assists. Mikal Bridges scored a playoff career-high 27 points for the Suns, who seized a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and added 12 rebounds for the Bucks, but the team could not offer him enough support as they went down 0-2.
‘It’s a 0-0 mindset for us,’ Booker said. ‘It’s a game-seven mentality for us. Every game is a game seven for us. It gets rowdy up there but we’ll be ready for it.’
The Suns seek their first NBA crown, while the Bucks are trying to capture their first title in 50 years.
‘We’ve got to just keep making it tough on them,’ Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. ‘We’ve got to look at the film and keep working to get better against this group.’
The Suns outscored the Bucks 15-4 over the final 4:40 of the second quarter to seize a 56-45 half-time lead.
Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges scored a playoff career-high 27 points for the Suns, who seized a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.
The Suns lost swingman Torrey Craig to a right leg injury at the end of the third quarter, just a day after losing Croatian forward Dario Saric with a torn right knee ligament.
