Will the NBA season come to an end tonight in Milwaukee? The NBA Finals have turned with the first road win of the series in Game 5. It did not look great for the Milwaukee Bucks early on, but since they found their game they have never looked back.
Now it is the Phoenix Suns needing to win on the road to stay alive and extend the season to one final game.
Based on what we have seen over the last three games that is looking like a very tough ask. The Suns are looking like a deer in the headlights right now. They need their leader to get them to the potential safety of a Game 7 at home.
NBA Finals Game 6: Phoenix Suns (2-3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (3-2), ABC, 9:00 PM ET
NBA Finals Game 6 Betting Odds
Spread
- Phoenix Suns +5 (-112)
- Milwaukee Bucks -5 (-108)
Total
- OVER 222 (-110)
- UNDER 222 (-110)
Moneyline
- Phoenix Suns +164
- Milwaukee Bucks -196
NBA Finals Game 5 betting odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook as of Tuesday, July 20 at 2:30 am ET. For NBA Finals betting odds from other major online sportsbooks like BetMGM and PointsBet, check out our NBA odds.
NBA Finals Game 6 Betting Consensus
Spread (at +/-5)
- 75% Phoenix Suns
- 25% Milwaukee Bucks
Total (at O/U 222)
- 100% OVER
- 0% UNDER
Moneyline
- 0% Phoenix Suns
- 100% Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks NBA Finals Game 6 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
Suns Have Their Back Against the Wall
One of the reasons the Suns were favored to win the NBA Finals was because they had homecourt advantage. The crowds have been great, but with the loss in Game 5 the advantage is gone, at least for now. Now they have to win on the road to earn a Game 7 at home.
Also hurting Phoenix is that they have to snap back from a three-game losing streak, something that happened only once during the season. Each of the losses in the NBA Finals has been a little different from the others too. In Game 5 they just didn’t play defense the way they have this season. The Bucks shot 57% from the field and made half of their threes, which is hard to keep up with.
Top scorer Devin Booker tried his best to keep up. He scored 40 points for the second game in a row while making more than half of his shots. In fact, the Suns shot it even better than the Bucks did for the game. They got their balance too with all five starters scoring at least 10 points. It just wasn’t enough.
Coach Monty Williams has done a great job in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if he has a new wrinkle to spring on Milwaukee. The Suns are underdogs again for the third time in Milwaukee.
The Bucks Can Close the Series at Home
Milwaukee is now just one win away from their first NBA Finals win since 1971. And with the way they have been playing at home, they have to be confident that they will seal the deal.
Throughout the playoffs, we have seen Giannis have massive games, and Khris Middleton has been a terrific closer on multiple occasions. In Game 5 we saw the Bucks about as balanced as they can be, and I am not sure you can beat them when they play like that.
In the win, Giannis scored 32, Middleton 29, and Jrue Holiday 27. All shot it well (except for Giannis from the free-throw line). And they were so willing to share the ball, especially Giannis, who had 6 assists with no turnovers. Yes, I know Holiday had more than double the number of assists, but for Giannis to be turnover-free is pretty rare.
Supporting that trio was the hot shooting of Pat Connaughton, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez, all of who made at least half of their threes. Connaughton has seen his role grow over the course of the series with his unselfish game and ability to make outside shots.
Before the series began, I thought it would be Milwaukee that would be constantly chasing and making adjustments in the series. Now they are in the lead and heading home. They just have to keep doing what they are doing.
The Deer District is going to be going nuts, and for good reason. The Bucks are favored at home, and they are tough to beat at Fiserv Forum. They are 9-1 there in the postseason, with six of those wins coming by double digits.
Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks NBA Finals Game 6 Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More
