NBA 2022/23, on Thursday, 03/15/2023
In my Suns Bucks tip for tonight’s top game with a strong NBA playoff aftertaste, I will elaborate on some game-relevant aspects.
Milwaukee is in good spirits right now and has every reason to be! Phoenix, on the other hand, has a real tragedy looming that – starting tonight – could soon cost the Arizonans one of the top six spots in the Western Conference standings.
That will have Suns fans throwing up their hands: Ciao, Kevin Durant and Ciao, NBA Finals hopefuls!
At the latest with the injury of the superstar, who was traded to Phoenix only three weeks ago, the party mood is in the basement.
Just a few weeks ago, the Suns made a block-buster deal for the ageing NBA icon, which now – in retrospect – turns out to be a complete bust.
After only a few appearances in a black and purple jersey, it is now clear that Kevin Durant will be out for at least three weeks. Personally, however, I expect the 34-year-old to take much longer to get back to 100%.
But whether Durant is out for three weeks or three months, he will definitely miss the top game against the Bucks. The Suns brought him in specifically to make the difference in big games like the one against the Green and Whites.
Phoenix is calculated to have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule ahead of them, and I personally wouldn’t necessarily use a great free bet in the context of the Suns making the playoffs via the direct route.
Especially since Phoenix lost some good bench players in the Durant trade and Chris Paul and Devin Booker have also struggled with injuries already this season. I’m sticking with this: things could go rapidly downhill for the Arizonans soon.
Tonight’s visit to the Footprint Center is the Eastern Conference leaders, who have been a thorn in the side of Arizonans for a number of years due to their physical style of play.
It’s not for nothing that the Bucks have already won six of the last seven head-to-head duels. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that these were almost always close games in which both sides could have won.
The Green and Whites do a better job on the boards in my eyes and should be able to handle the offensive efforts of the short-handed Suns a little better tonight than they would if Kevin Durant was doing his thing in their own half-court.
My Suns Bucks tip was based on what I learned from the last head-to-head meeting, which was just a fortnight ago. Final score? 104:101 for Milwaukee.
Admittedly a very close result, but in this respect one must also be aware of the circumstances that still prevailed on 26 February in the Fiserv Forum.
Kevin Durant change was already two weeks old at that time, but the veteran sat out this game to recover from his previous injuries. In this respect, not much changes in the starting line-up of the Arizonans tonight compared to the last duel.
On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had to take a break due to injury, which of course massively limited the Bucks’ potential.
The Green-Whites still managed to win the game despite losing a surprising number of rebounding duels at the board.
Should the Greek be able to join in this time, the home side will certainly catch more rebounds than their opponents and also be able to conjure up around 15 more points on the board.
However, I’m sticking with my Bucks Suns tip until the very end regarding the use of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Greek has been carrying around a minor hand injury for the past few days, which kept him from playing in the games against the Nets and Warriors. Against the Kings he came back with a monster performance (46 points)!
Still, should he miss, I’d be a little more hesitant about my NBA betting.
Conclusion: The Suns are still playing quite successfully at the moment, but the schedule so far has been relatively relaxed. Even if the games against top teams like Kings and Bucks were still lost.
From now on, however, the Arizonans should have a much harder time. With the rematch against Milwaukee, Phoenix will face a tough remaining schedule with a starting five that will no longer be able to play with its best line-up.
Should Antetokounmpo play tonight – which I am currently convinced he will – his Bucks should be able to prevail relatively clearly.
In any case, my Suns Bucks tip is: Milwaukee wins.
