Close Menu
NBA

NBA Finals Game 4 Slips From Suns, Bucks’ Middleton Scores 42

The Game Haus StaffBy Updated:6 Mins Read

A strong sense of concern is now setting in for Suns fans with at least two games left in the 2021 NBA season.

Phoenix fell 103-109 Wednesday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals as the Milwaukee Bucks evened the series 2-2.

An intense game throughout, the contest saw itself marred at times by what many fans considered questionable officiating. The most notable incident being what looked like an uncalled sixth foul on Phoenix’s Devin Booker against the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday.

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer wasn’t too worried as he believed “there was just a little bit of a mix-up.”

“I think they called the foul a little bit earlier on somebody other than Booker, so I think there was a little bit of confusion just in general, both the players.”

As for Holiday, he responded, “I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Suns fans ended up getting a reprieve, but the second chance wasn’t meant to be for Phoenix. Khris Middleton led a gritty Bucks squad to victory, dropping 40 points to tie up the series.

The Suns kept up as well, falling in line behind Booker’s own impressive 42-point night. But their ability to last without him was put in doubt as he racked up five fouls in the match.

When Booker sat on the bench, Phoenix barely maintained the lead. The Suns being on their heels defensively against Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo frequently.

“They’re coming to the glass with a great deal of force,” Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters postgame. “We got to meet them outside the paint. It just boils down to that. You can’t wait for those guys to get to the paint to try to box them out.”

The offensive rush evident in the Bucks scoring 15 fast break points while holding the Suns to zero. Furthermore, Milwaukee took better advantage of second chance points, scoring 19 compared to Phoenix’s seven.

Milwaukee’s Mighty Night

Going into Game 4, Antetokounmpo was the man to beat for Phoenix. Ultimately, Khris Middleton would end up the breadwinner while the Greek Freak played commendable support.

Middleton shot a playoff career-high 33 attempts, converting 15 successfully on his way to a high-scoring night. When asked by reporters if he kept track of his shots, the shooting guard said he didn’t.

“I just try to let the game comes to me, the shots that I have to take no matter what,” Middleton continued. “No matter how many times I shoot in a minute, no matter how many times I miss, that’s just the way I play the game.”

It doesn’t take much to know the rest of the Bucks trust Middleton’s abilities.

“He wants to win.” Mike Budenholzer praised. “He’s obviously a great shooter, great passer, playmaker. I think he makes winning plays on the defensive end. He’s an all-around good player.”

“I mean, at the end of the day, he makes the right plays,” Pat Connaughton, who sat with Middleton postgame, affirmed. “Tonight it called for him to be more aggressive with a jump shot but he’s always going to be aggressive.”

As aggressive as Middleton was, the best play of the night for the Bucks came from Antetokounmpo.

A spectacular block from the Greek Freak on Deandre Ayton that all but ensured victory. And it was a play that, based on Antetokounmpo’s reflection, almost didn’t happen.

“I thought I was going to get dunked on, to be honest with you,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I saw the play coming. I saw that [Devin Booker] was going to throw the lob and I was just going to jump vertical toward the rim. Hopefully, I can be there in time, and I was there in time and was able to get a good block and go down and get two points.”

Suns’ Turnover Trauma Continues

The only things that did just as much damage to the Suns besides Booker’s foul trouble were their series-high 17 turnovers. It was also the third straight Finals game in which the Suns had double-digit fouls.

Monty Williams noted the trend postgame, as well as its anomalous nature from the Suns’ standpoint.

Among the players that had trouble containing the ball the most, Chris Paul was guilty of five turnovers, a team-high. The killing blow for Phoenix’s comeback being Paul’s last turnover, as he slipped inside the arc with about 35 seconds left.

The point guard took responsibility, saying postgame, “that time we were down two and I tried to cross over right there, slipped, turned it over.”

“I had some bad passes in the first half,” Paul lamented. “They got a significant amount more shots than us, so for me, I got to take care of the ball.”

Devin Booker also got slippery with the ball, responsible for four turnovers despite his fiery scoring effort. Deandre Ayton tried helping offset the damage all game with 17 rebounds, 16 of which were defensive in the losing effort against Milwaukee’s offense.

Keeping hands on the ball will be the big talking point for the upcoming Game 5, and while some Suns fans may feel unsure, Cam Johnson has no room for doubt in his opinion.

“Yeah, there’s no hit hitting the panic button right now,” Johnson stated postgame. “There’s no panic. You go back home and look at it and adjust. I think we did some things better this game than we did last game. Just ultimately wasn’t enough to finish the deal. You come close sometimes but obviously, it’s not enough.”

If nothing else, the resolute sentiment by Phoenix that things will change is a promise the Suns intend to keep. A return home may help do just that. All Suns fans need to know that there’s still hope is in Williams’ postgame locker room speech.

Game 5 is Saturday, July 17 at Phoenix Suns Arena, 9 PM eastern time.

Featured Image courtesy of AP Photo/Paul Sancya

You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Jose! 

“From Our Haus to Yours”

Leave A Reply