Milwaukee Ties NBA Finals with Massive Game 4 Win

July 15, 2021 ,

The NBA Finals is tied up after four games, and the Milwaukee Bucks have the momentum after a late-game turnaround led by Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. 
The Bucks win came as Middleton busted loose for a playoff career-high 40 points and Giannis put up a monster line of 26 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks - none more critical than his rejection of Deandre Ayton's alley-oop attempt with 75 seconds to play. 
Middleton provided the scoring punch that the Bucks need in half-court sets, as he scored 14 points in the 4th quarter, including 10 straight in the last 2:15 of the game. 
Devin Booker continues to shine this postseason with 42 points on an efficient 17/28 FG shooting, but ran into foul trouble and had to sit out for nearly three minutes in the middle of a critical stretch in the 3rd quarter. On top of Booker's foul trouble, the Suns didn't get much help from Chris Paul, who struggled through his worst game of the Finals. Paul scored 10 points with only 7 assists and had 5 costly turnovers (which brings his total to 15 over the last 3 games), including a giveaway with less than four minutes to go while on a 3-on-1, which led directly to a Giannis bucket at the other end of the floor. Despite snaring 17 rebounds and having 3 blocks, Deandre Ayton struggled throughout the night shooting. On top of that, only one of his rebounds came on the offensive end, which is his lowest total since Game 4 against Denver. 

Booker once again showed his willingness to step up to the plate and is blossoming into a superstar in front of everyone's eyes. Not only is he averaging 27.5 ppg in The Finals, but he has put up the most 40-point games in a first career playoff appearance in NBA history (he's in pretty solid company). 
Looking forward to Game 5 back in Phoenix, the Suns will need both Paul and Ayton to step up, as they combined for 16 points on 8/24 FG , 7 turnovers and zero free throw attempts. If they can get another rock-solid performance from Booker and improved play from their pick-and-roll duo, look for the Suns to bounce back. As well, Booker will have to make sure that he stays out of foul trouble moving forward for the Suns to win - they have a minimal chance to win two more games if he is on the sideline due to foul trouble. 

On the Bucks side of the ball, they will need Giannis and Middleton continue to perform, but have to get Jrue Holiday back on track, as he had arguably his worst game of the playoffs - going 4/20 FG, although he did contribute 7 rebounds and 7 assists with only 1 turnover. A more efficient shooting night in Game 5 would do wonders for the Bucks attack. 

Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports


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