Chris Paul had 32 points and nine assists in an NBA Finals debut that was well worth the wait, Devin Booker scored 27 points and the Suns beat the returning Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 on Tuesday night in Game 1.
Suns take first ever 1-0 lead in the NBA finals in the franchise history. The Game 2 will be played at Phoenix Suns Arena on Thursday, July 8.
Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 19 rebounds to continue his breakout stretch of play in his first postseason.
Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 17 rebounds after missing two games with a hyperextended left knee. Khris Middleton scored 29 points, but the Bucks will have to play from behind again after dropping Game 1 for the third straight series.
Brook Lopez added 17 points for the Milwaukee, The Bucks said they had 9,000 fans watching the game inside Fiserv Forum and 20,000 outside in the Deer District.
Game 1 is all about Chris Paul, he scored 16 points during a sensational third quarter that had Phoenix fans who waited 28 years to see the NBA Finals again screaming in delight.
”Every time he shoots it we think it’s going in,” Booker said. It almost did in the third quarter, when Paul was 6 for 7 and made all three 3-pointers.
Finally playing for the title in his 16th season, the star point guard has the Suns in the NBA Finals for only the third time, and it sure looked as if they could make this ending different than the other two.
”We’ve been building all season long for these moments,” Paul said. ”We’re going to keep playing. This is just one game. We’ve got to stay locked in.”
The Suns, who came into the NBA with the Bucks in 1968, made their only other finals appearance in 1976 before losing to Michael Jordon’s Chicago Bulls in 1993.
They hadn’t even made the playoffs since 2010 and just two years ago were last in the Western Conference with a 19-63 record.
Milwaukee also is making its third finals appearance, having won the title in 1971 but not getting another chance since losing in 1974. The Bucks got a boost for this appearance when Antetokounmpo worked his way back quickly from an injury that looked serious when it happened.
The two-time MVP missed the final two games of the Eastern Conference finals. He was listed as doubtful for the opener, but he was upgraded to questionable Tuesday and then inserted into the starting lineup after he worked out on the court before the game.
”I’m just happy that I’m out there and I’m able to help my team in any way possible and participate in my first NBA Finals,” Antetokounmpo said.
The Bucks threw a lob to Antetokounmpo on their first possession – a play similar to the one he was defending when he was injured in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Atlanta – and he seemed to attack the basket just as forcefully as always.
But Jrue Holiday, who played so well while Antetokounmpo was out, shot just 4 for 14 and scored 10 points.
