The Suns face a Giannis-sized problem.
Who: Phoenix Suns (35-40) @ Milwaukee Bucks (40-34)
When: 4:30pm Arizona Time
Where: Fiserv Forum — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV / Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Can the Phoenix Suns get back on track? Does it even matter?
The Suns, outscored by an average of 28 points over their last three games, now embark on their final major road trip of the season. When the schedule dropped last summer, this stretch loomed as a potential proving ground. A chance for iron to sharpen iron against the East’s elite. Surely, by now, Phoenix would be jockeying for playoff position, fine-tuning for a deep run.
It hasn’t played out that way, has it?
For the Bucks, Celtics, and Knicks, these games are a dress rehearsal for postseason battles ahead. For the Suns, they feel more like final rites. What was once a measuring stick has become a funeral procession, the season’s demise dragging on with each crushing loss.
The Suns faced this same Milwaukee squad just a week ago, pulling out a 108-106 win on a last-second Devin Booker jumper. The vibes were immaculate. It felt like a corner had finally been turned. Four straight wins, momentum was building.
But as Monty Williams used to warn, “Never get happy on the farm.”
I don’t know if the Suns got happy, but the opposition sure treated them like cattle. And by week’s end, Phoenix had been milked dry, outclassed, and left wondering where it all went wrong.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Bradley Beal — OUT (Left Hamstring)
- Kevin Durant — OUT (Left Ankle)
Bucks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — PROBABLE (Left Foot; Sprain)
- Damion Lillard — OUT (Right Calf; Deep Vein Thrombosis)
- Bobby Portis — OUT (League Suspension)
- AJ Green — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ac Joint; Sprain)
- Jericho Sims — OUT (Right Thumb; UCL Sprain)
Uniform Matchup
What to Watch For
We already know the script when facing the Bucks: a heavy dose of Giannis Antetokounmpo barreling downhill like a freight train with zero regard for human life. And he’ll receive plenty of love from the whistle along the way. No one in the NBA attempts more free throws per game than Giannis. He’s good for 10.5 a game.
The Suns, lacking any real interior presence and now missing Kevin Durant (who logged the most minutes guarding Giannis last week), are primed to get steamrolled in the paint.
If Milwaukee did their homework, they’d see how easily Phoenix has been exploited over the past week and how to do it. Pound the paint, run some high-screen action, and watch the defense collapse. It’ll open up clean looks from deep. Given the Bucks rank third in three-point percentage this season, they’ll feast.
Key to a Suns Win
It will take a Herculean effort from Devin Booker and company just to keep this close. But it has to start with defense. Expect the onslaught, brace for impact, and — somehow — find a way to execute. Otherwise, this could get ugly fast.
Prediction
It will get ugly fast.
Bucks 128, Suns 108
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