After starting the 2020-21 NBA Finals with a 0-2 series deficit, the Milwaukee Bucks have looked great as they’ve won the last three games in a row over the Phoenix Suns. With the 3-2 lead, the Bucks have a chance to win their first NBA Championship in 50 years as Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20 in Milwaukee.
Here’s what the odds are looking like heading into Tuesday’s matchup.
NBA Finals Odds: Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks Game 6
Odds via Bovada as of Monday, July 19
- Series: MIL leads 3-2
- Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Suns (+170) vs Bucks (-200)
- Point Spread: Suns: +5.0 (-115), Bucks: -5.0 (-105)
- Total: 220.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Suns Looking to Survive
The Suns looked like they were in the driver’s seat after the first two games of the NBA Finals. Fast forward to now and they’re just hoping they can force a Game 7 on Tuesday. The truth is that the Suns did a lot right despite losing the most recent game. For starters, Devin Booker recorded his second of back-to-back games of 40 or more points in the NBA Finals. Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul each had 20 points apiece. The Suns even finished the night with .552/.684/.909 shooting splits. That type of shooting would win a game any other night, however, it didn’t work out for Phoenix. Nevertheless, if the Suns can shoot like that in Game 6, they could be in good shape.
Nevertheless, there are a few things that the Suns could improve on as the NBA Finals continue. Their rebounding has been lackluster throughout the finals as the Bucks have outrebounded them (on average) 45-39 each game. Phoenix also has a disappointing rebounding rating of 18.7% compared to Milwaukee’s 29.7%. The Suns also need to get back to how they were playing earlier in the playoffs. They were once the best defensive team in the postseason, but can’t seem to figure out a way to shut the Bucks down. They also need to just keep working on beating Milwaukee at the perimeter offensively and figuring out a way how to slow Giannis Antetokounmpo down (which is probably easier said than done).
Can the Bucks Clinch the 2020-21 NBA Finals?
At -200 odds, Bovada is favoring the Bucks to win the NBA Championship in front of their home crowd on Tuesday. With the Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday played in Game 5, that shouldn’t be much of an issue if they can repeat those performances. Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Meanwhile, Holiday ended the last game with 27 points and 13 assists for the double-double, however, it was his defense that helped the Bucks win as well. He ended the night with 3 steals, but none was bigger than when he ripped the ball out of Booker’s hands with seconds to spare. Holiday then led the ball downcourt and lobbed it up to Antetokounmpo for the victory-clinching alley-oop.
That’s not even to mention how Khris Middleton had 29 points as well. Even Pat Connaughton had 14 points coming off of the bench. From a team perspective, the Bucks shot 57.5% from the field and 50.0% from the 3-point line, which shows how efficient they were from everywhere on the floor. It just seemed like everything was clicking for Milwaukee and there wasn’t much that the Suns could do to stop them. If the Bucks can bring that type of performance to Game 6, the NBA Finals could be over sooner than Phoenix would like. Nevertheless, the hometown crowd could make the difference for Milwaukee, but only time will tell if that’s true.
