NBA Finals: Top moments from Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns Game 1
And then there were two.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns arrived with plenty of intrigue.
Bucks' superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was cleared to play after a hyperextended left knee him out of the final two games of the Eastern Conference finals, and the Finals got the extra juice it needed with his presence on the court.
With both teams at full strength, the first half of Game 1 didn't disappoint, with the stars on both teams delivering in a major way. But Chris Paul and the Suns were too much in the end, pulling away in the second half and cruising to a 118-105 victory.
Here are the top moments from Game 1:
All eyes were on Antetokounmpo in Game 1, with spectators anxious to see how healthy he would look in his return to the floor.
And early in the first quarter, he looked as agile and explosive as fans have become accustomed to with aggressive drives to the rim.
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This might not have been exactly how Monty Williams drew it up, but this lob from Devin Booker to Mikal Bridges still resulted in two points for the Suns.
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Booker's aggressiveness continued to pay dividends for the Suns, with him finding his own offense, with backup point guard Cameron Payne following his lead.
The Suns rode 12 early points from Booker to take a 30-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, he was joined by his backcourt mate Chris Paul, who scored 11 points in the quarter.
While Antetokounmpo's energy was a plus early for the Bucks, so was the play of Khris Middleton.
He proved to be a steady presence for the Bucks, keeping them afloat in the first half with his scoring.
Middleton and Antetokounmpo combined for 22 points in the first half to keep the Bucks within striking distance at the break, trailing 57-49.
The duo of Booker and Paul combined for 27 points for the Suns in the first half.
And the Suns didn't let up to start the third quarter, using a quick 8-3 run to push their lead to 13 points.
Paul scored six of those points, with Bridges scoring the other two.
From that moment, the rout was on and it was thanks to Paul.
He erupted for 16 points in total in the quarter to push the Suns' lead to 17 points heading into the fourth quarter.
The explosive third quarter caught the attention of his peers around the league.
In the fourth quarter, the Bucks managed to hang around.
But the Suns proved to be too much in the end.
Paul led the way, finishing with 32 points.
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