Middleton, Antetokounmpo go off as Bucks level Finals with Game 4 win over Suns 109-103
The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks meet in a pivotal contest in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. If the Bucks win, the series returns to Phoenix tied 2-2 and becomes a best-of-3 contest. If the Suns win, they can close out the series at home Saturday in Game 5.
The Bucks enter Game 4 as favorites at -5 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. That line has moved from -4 and -4.5. The over/under is set at 221, which is up slightly from 220.5. Milwaukee is -210 on the moneyline while Phoenix is +175.
In this file, we’ll be tracking all the latest updates during the game, providing stats so you can keep an eye on your player prop bets. We’ll also keep an eye on the betting splits and how the public did against the books in Game 4.
End of the fourth quarter — The Bucks make enough key plays down the stretch to defeat the Suns in Game 4 109-103 and level the NBA Finals at 2-2. Middleton and Antetokounmpo combine for 66 points, with the latter having a massive block late to help the Bucks pull away. Booker finishes with 42 points but didn’t make some shots down the stretch in the loss.
The under hits for bettors, as did Milwaukee -4.5. A huge portion of bettors lost out taking the Suns on the moneyline. Booker hit his player prop for points, but missed all his three-point attempts. Antetokounmpo missed on his player prop, going under 34.5 points. Lopez hit the over on his player prop with 14 points.
Chris Paul struggled, shooting 4-12 and having five turnovers. Jrue Holiday was horrendous for most of the game going 4-20 from the field, but had a key offensive rebound late to secure another possession for Milwaukee.
Both teams hit seven threes, although the Bucks took six more attempts than the Suns. Milwaukee took 10 more free throws than Phoenix, making eight of those 10 shots. The Suns had 17 turnovers as a team to give the Bucks some easy transition opportunities.
The home team has won every game of the Finals, which has now become a best-of-3 series. Game 5 is in Phoenix Saturday at 9 p.m.
11:23 p.m. — It’s 95-94 Suns with 3:30 to play in Game 4. The under is looking great right now for the 24 percent of bettors who took that line. Booker could’ve been called for his sixth foul, but the officials didn’t blow the whistle. Antetokounmpo is up to 26 points and Middleton has 30. Pat Connaughton has been a solid contributor in 28 minutes, putting up eight points and more importantly grabbing nine rebounds. This has been the first close game of the series and it will go down to the wire.
11:12 p.m. — The Suns lead the Bucks 90-86 in what is setting up to be a wild finish to this game. Booker is still on the bench with 38 points and five fouls. Antetokounmpo is up to 22 points, while Middleton leads the Bucks with 28. Jrue Holiday has been really bad, going 4-17 from the floor so far and 0-4 from deep. Milwaukee as a team is 6-26 from behind the arc. The Suns have committed 15 turnovers, allowing the Bucks to stay in the contest. The over has some life, but bettors who took the under are still feeling good.
11:02 p.m. — Booker just picked up his fifth foul and Cam Payne comes in for the star guard, who’s got 38 points. The Suns lead the Bucks 87-81.
End of the third quarter: The Suns lead the Bucks 82-76 with Booker pouring in 38 points. The guard is 15-22 from the floor but is playing with four fouls. Middleton has 26 points for the Bucks and Antetokounmpo’s got 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. The under is looking like the smart bet here. The popular player props for Lopez points and Booker points have already hit.
10:42 p.m. — Booker is up to 30 points, cashing in for bettors who took him to score over 27.5 points. He’s also picked up his third foul, making this a tough situation for Suns head coach Monty Williams who eventually decides to yank the star guard. Phoenix leads Milwaukee 65-62.
10:38 p.m. — The Suns lead the Bucks 61-56 early in the third quarter. Milwaukee has shot 3-18 from behind the arc, but is somehow still in the game. Brook Lopez has 11 points, paying those who took him to get over 10.5 points.
Halftime — The Suns and Bucks are tied 52-52 at halftime. Booker has 20 points at the break, making those who took him to go over 27.5 points happy. However, he is 0-2 from behind the arc which doesn’t bode well for bettors who took the over on him making more than 2.4 triples. Middleton leads the Bucks with 16 points. Antetokounmpo has 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Bettors who took the over on his 34.5 points will not have confidence at the moment. The over is back in play for the game after some late fireworks in the quarter.
9:53 p.m. — We’ve got a tie game at 33-33 with 6:50 to go in the half. Middleton has nine points and Antetokounmpo has eight. The Suns have six turnovers, a big reason why the Bucks have been able to tie up the contest. Bettors who took the under are feeling great.
End of the first quarter — The Suns lead the Bucks 23-20 after a rough first quarter offensively. Phoenix went 1-5 from behind the arc; Milwaukee shot 2-10 from distance. Antetokounmpo is 2-4 from the floor with four points. Booker is 3-7 with eight points to lead the Suns. Bettors who took the under are loving this score.
9:28 p.m. — The Bucks have cut into Phoenix’s lead, which now stands at 18-14. Jrue Holiday is 0-5 after performing well in Game 3. Khris Middleton is 3-8 with seven points. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is being backed by a lot of bettors to top 34.5 points, has two points on one shot. Chris Paul has two turnovers and has been somewhat careless with his passes this evening. It’s been a weird start to Game 4.
9:15 p.m. — The Suns have jumped out to a 10-4 lead with Devin Booker starting 2-2 from the floor. The Bucks have missed three three-point shots early and are struggling to contain Phoenix’s drives.
8:55 p.m. — The final spread, over/under and moneyline odds: Bucks -4.5, 221, MIL -200 PHX +170. There’s slight movement towards the Suns, but most of the lines have stayed about where they started.
