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“How can Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks win Game 3?”: Keys for Milwaukee Bucks to take crucial Game 3 against Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns

Raahib Singh
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"How can the Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks win Game 3?": Keys for Milwaukee Bucks to take crucial Game 3 against Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns

Three key points that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks need to keep in mind if they want to win Game 3 against the Suns

The Milwaukee Bucks are in a bit of trouble. Even though coming back from 0-2 deficits isn’t uncommon, the Suns are the heavy favorites to win it all now. For the Bucks to win, they need more than what they have right now. Currently, they have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is giving his all, despite his knee injury. Apart from that, the Bucks do not have any stability in their game. Khris Middleton showed up in Game 1, but was nowhere to be found in Game 2.

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How can Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks win Game 3?

Watching Games 1 and 2, there are a few key factors that can guarantee the Bucks’ success in Game 3.  They are:

1. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton show up

Till now, the Bucks have had contributions from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton in the first two games. Jrue Holiday, despite being the key player he is, has not risen up yet. Game 3 would be the perfect occasion for Holiday to rise up and take on the challenge. Holiday just has 27 combined points in Games 1 and 2, shooting 1/7 from the deep and 11/35 from the field.

Khris Middleton, on the other hand, had a strong 29 point first game, but only recorded 11 points in Game 2. Both of these players need to step up and help Giannis Antetokounmpo take the fight to the Suns.

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2. Stopping the 3 point barrage

In Game 1, the Suns made a total of 11 3-pointers in the game. Sounds respectable for a current-day NBA game right? Well, they changed the narrative in Game 2. The Suns made 20 3s in Game 2, on 40 shot attempts. They had eight three-pointers in the first quarter alone, just 3 less than their total for Game 1.

If the Bucks wish to stop the Suns, they need to contain the Suns from beyond the arc. Giving away 60 points, on just 20 shots hurt the Bucks and their chances in Game 2. Coming back home, this would be a point that would be focused on by Mike Budenholzer and his staff.

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3. Containing Devin Booker and Chris Paul

The Phoenix Suns have a backcourt that is much feared in the NBA. On the one hand, you have a young and feisty scorer in Devin Booker. Booker has scored 58 points in the first two contests while shooting 40% from the deep.

On the other hand, the Suns have the veteran and crafty Chris Paul leading the team. CP3 has 55 points to his name in the two contests and is basically unguardable in clutch time.

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The defenders that have had the max success against Booker are Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo. When guarded by the two, Booker is just 3-15 from the field. On the other hand, for Chris Paul, his worst nightmare on the Bucks team is P.J. Tucker. When defender by Tucker, Paul is just shooting 2-6 from the field.

If the Bucks take care of these three points, then theoretically, they should be able to secure the dub against the Suns.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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