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β’ Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns
β’ Sunday, March 17 at 12 PM ET
β’ Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
At this point of the regular season, it’s time for teams to prove if they’re the real deal or not. In recent years, we’ve seen several squads start off hot, but then totally disappear after the All-Star break. The hope is that won’t be the case for the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, two of the most fun teams to watch in the league. Come Sunday afternoon, the two will face off and the Suns are hoping to beat the Bucks in a massive weekend tilt. Will they be able to get the job done?
This is a game that a lot of people have circled on their calendars, as it’s not too wild to think about these two teams facing off with the NBA Finals title on the line. Starting with the Bucks, Milwaukee once again is looking like a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the MVP hunt and he’s without question among the best players in the league. With him playing so well, the Bucks are going to be a force the rest of the way.
| Bucks vs. Suns odds |  |  |  |
| Bucks to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Suns to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The same can be said for the Suns, as they’re a powerhouse in the Western Conference. Countless eyes are going to be on both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker once the postseason gets here. First, though, the two studs are going to want to work their magic to convince people that they’ll be able to stand tall against the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and others out West. It won’t be easy, but we think they have what it takes.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Bucks are the favorites with their -110 NBA betting odds. However, the Suns are in a prime position to post an upset with their +125 NBA betting odds. Some people think Milwaukee will dominate, but we think this will be a much closer game than folks are anticipating. With that said, we’re actually going to rock with the Suns as our pick. An upset will be on the way here.
Kevin Durant over his last 14 games:
29.1 PPG
50.7% FG
34.9% 3P
80.2% FT
7.6 RPG
4.9 APG
1.2 BPGTop 5 MVP Finisher π€ pic.twitter.com/1E8wMbXCn6
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) March 13, 2024
The over should hit between the Bucks and Suns
It goes without saying, but the over should hit between the Bucks and Suns when they face off on March 17. Both of these teams are loaded on offense, of course including the stars we mentioned above. Durant is one of the best shooters in the game and he handles the load for Phoenix. Whenever he has the ball in his hands, he drives opposing defenses crazy. This has been the case for a while, as Durant has been quite consistent from the moment he made his way to the league.
With the Bucks, it all begins with Antetokounmpo. The Greek Greek can knock down shots and also fly into the paint and pose problems for teams down there as well. With his fantastic size and speed, there’s a reason he’s one of the most feared players out there. He also knows what it takes to help Milwaukee go all the way, as this team won the NBA Finals two seasons ago. The hope is that Antetokounmpo can post a big game against the Suns. He also wants the team to bounce back after a rough loss to the Kings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo catches TWO BODIES on the alley-oop jam π₯pic.twitter.com/Lxg8WkVhDC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 13, 2024
“You want to impact the game,” He said earlier this week. “You cannot just be passive and just pass the ball. You gotta impact the game in a way. Sometimes you gotta beat the double team. Sometimes, you gotta make something happen. When theyβre blitzing Dame (Lillard) every single time, sometimes heβs going to hold the ball, try to see if he can find a crack, try to make something happen. I get why itβs happening.”
The Bucks will also be hoping that Damian Lillard can continue his fantastic campaign thus far. Lillard has been a pleasure to watch since he made his way over from Portland. If Lillard and Antetokounmpo can play to their usual level, and Durant and Booker also have a big night, then there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a high-scoring game. It will be interesting to see how many points are put up on the board, but we’re surely going with the over here.
Both the Bucks and Suns have strong Finals betting odds
As you might have been able to guess, both the Bucks and Suns have strong Finals betting odds. They might not be at the top, but Phoenix enters the weekend with +950 NBA Finals betting odds, while the Bucks are ahead of them by a little bit at +750. These two teams are fired up to silence their haters once the spring gets here.
It feels like everyone is chasing the Boston Celtics these days, as they have the best record in the NBA. However, every year we see loads of surprises in the playoffs. Yes, Boston and Denver will be teams that people will assume will go on a deep run, but we’re going to be paying close attention to Milwaukee and the Suns too. They are simply too set with star playmakers to not make a ton of noise once the regular season comes to a close.
