The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA champions for the first time in 50 years after they defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Milwaukee.
It was Milwaukee’s fourth straight win in the NBA Finals series after they started down 0-2.
After a historic NBA Finals performance, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious choice for NBA Finals MVP. He led the Bucks with 50 points and 14 rebounds, willing Milwaukee to the Game 6 win.
It was the third time Giannis reached 40 points for the third time in the Finals. And he’s only the 7th player in the history of the Finals to have a 50-point game.
Chris Paul, who made the Finals for the first time in his 16-year NBA career, led the Suns in scoring with 26 points but it wasn’t enough.
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Both teams in Game 6 got off to very slow starts offensively, but it was the Bucks who picked it up first and in a big way. The Suns scored just 16 points in the first, their lowest scoring quarter in the playoffs.
Despite seven first quarter turnovers, the Bucks took a 13 point lead into the second quarter.
A 10-0 run to start the second for the Suns quickly got the game back within three points. They eventually took the lead and went into the half up five. It was almost a mirror image of Game 5 when Phoenix took a 16 point first quarter lead but then Milwaukee took the lead into half.
Giannis led all scorers at half with 17. Chris Paul had 13. Cam Payne and Bobby Portis each had 10.
The Bucks offense came back alive in the third, mostly led by Giannis and Brook Lopez.
Suns center DeAndre Ayton picked up his fourth foul with just under five minutes to go in the third.
The Bucks got up to a six point lead but Phoenix battled back to send a 77-77 tie into the fourth quarter.
Giannis continued his dominant performance in the fourth quarter on both ends of the floor while getting to the line and making nearly every free throw.
With just under five minutes to go in the game, the Bucks called a timeout with a 4-point lead.
With a minute and a half to go in the game, the Bucks held a six-point lead.
Up four with a minute to go, Khris Middleton made a fadeaway jumper to give the Bucks a 6-point lead again.
Devin Booker missed a good look at three on the next possession and it was over for Phoenix.
Booker finished with just 19 points. Jae Crowder had 15 for Phoenix.
Khris Middleton had 17 for Milwaukee and Bobby Portis added 16.
It’s the second time in franchise history the Bucks won it the Finals and the first time since 1971.