Game Time: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 10th, 2022 

Venue:  Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Spread:  Phoenix -3.5

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Phoenix -3.5; O/U 232.5

WynnBet: Spread:  Phoenix -2.5; O/U 232.5

Bucks: 35-21, 2nd place Eastern Conference

Suns: 44-10, 1st place Western Conference

The GAME OF THE NIGHT* guaranteeeeed! The NBA and TNT has most likely dropped a Finals preview in out laps on a Thursday night in February.  Everything the Brooklyn Nets vs the Washington Wizards in the early game will NOT be… this will.  The matchup features the NBA’s best current player against the NBA’s best current team.  Let’s be real Giannis is seemingly unstoppable. Let’s also be real… The Suns are a perfectly balanced killing machine.  If you think double teaming Giannis will stop him, you are wrong.  If you think focusing on any one area against the Phoenix Suns will stop them… they will beat you in all the other areas. The truth about playing either one of these teams… is you have to bring your best FULL game of basketball to get a win.  It’s that simple. The Best player VS the Best team.  

The Milwaukee Bucks head into this game on the rise.  They have seen as low as 4th in the Eastern Conference, but have fixed everything they need to fix and are winning like CHAMPS.  Also the Bucks could get better by that Thursday morning.  The league opinion is that all Bucks shooting guards: SG Grayson Allen, SG Pat Conaughton, and SG Donte DiVincenzo… and to some degree SG/SF Wesley Matthews are better than serviceable.  They also can’t all play at the same time.  The result could be a trade to get better for the playoffs… the problem with this thinking is that WHO?  The Bucks have great players all over their starting five and they have strong players coming off the bench.  They could realistically trade PF Bobby Portis who they are playing at Center along with one of the shooting guards and get a full time center.  Of course that is silly because Portis is the fan favorite hustle guy!  Also they already have Greg Monroe coming off the bench for Portis.  You would not want to replace PG Jrue Holiday or SF Khris Middleton… not when they have last season’s Championship rings on their fingers… unless the guy coming back is Damian Lilliard… and still then that would be a radical move that would involve lots of pieces to make cap room.  The whispers are whispers… this is a good team now… Maybe DiVencenzo could go out for picks if Milwaukee believes they can’t find minutes for him now.

The Phoenix Suns have everything!  They win games, they are young, they have the best veteran leader in the league.  They were bad as recently as every season before the Bubble.  The organic growth of C Deandre Ayton, SF Mikal Bridges caught up to frustrated team star Devin Booker at exactly the right time… it happened exactly when they added PG Chris Paul… the greatest current floor general, and if lands some rings, maybe the best of all time.  This group has a deep bench of guys that play their position and keep up the team concept when they are in the game.  The culture in Phoenix is at an all-time high.  The winning is impressive.  They were the last team to get to double digit losses and they have been stuck at 10.  The rest of the league plays basketball… right now the Suns simply WIN basketball.  

The Milwaukee Bucks are on a four-game winning streak. They have won 7 of their last 10 games.  They have the current best player in the league.  Giannis Antetokounmpo brings 29.2 ppg, 11.3 rbs, and 6 apg.  Denver C Nikola Jokic and Los Angeles Lakers SF/PF LeBron James have great numbers… but Giannis has great numbers plus winning.  The Bucks are 6-4 ATS.  Giannis is supported well by PG Jrue Holiday  (quick mind game:  If the Pelicans had traded the #1 pick in Zion’s draft, which would have returned multiple years worth of picks and probably a young player… and simply decided to build around Jrue, Ingram and Ball… would they be a top-5 team right now?) and SF Khris Middleton.  The rotation of shooting guards supply basically the same things: hustle, muscle, and shooting.  In fact, Grayson Allen supplies so much muscle that the Chicago Bulls may not have SG Alex Caruso for the rest of the season.  (that is a joke, Grayson Allen is a monster.)

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The Bucks are 35-21 on the season, but 26-30 ATS.  They have logged 26 Overs and 30 Unders.  They are 16-12 in road games.

The Suns are 44-10 on the season, but 30-24 ATS.  They have notched 25 Overs, 28 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are a dominant 22-5 in home games.  It also has been getting more and more dominant since they were 18-5 in home games.  These guys love winning.

The Bucks are 4th in ppg with 113.0, 2nd in rebounds with 46.7 per game, and 15th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7. They are shooting 14th in FG%, 4th in 3PT%, and 14th in FT%.  They are ranked 15th on defense while allowing 108.8 ppg from opponents.

The Suns are ranked 5th in scoring with 113.0 ppg, 5th in rebounds with 46.1 per game, and 3rd in AST/TO ratio with 2.0. They are shooting 2nd in FG%, 7th in 3PT%, and 7th in FT%.  They are ranked 6th on defense with 105.4 ppg from opponents. 

Our prediction for Thursday, February 10th is….  Suns 121 - Bucks 116

The Suns get the nod here.  It’s very simple.  The Suns are built to win through team play while the Bucks are built to win through a team supporting a single great player.  The Suns need to prove in big matchups that they have what they need.. And they have against the Golden State Warriors, the healthy Brooklyn Nets, the Miami Heat.  PG Chris Paul is telling hgis guys to get up!  They don’t want to give hope to any team they may face in the Finals.

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Milwaukee is 101-156 ATS versus teams with a winning record the last 3 seasons.
Phoenix is 14-5 ATS after a non-conference game this season.
Phoenix is 4-1 ATS versus Milwaukee at Phoenix the last 3 seasons.
All 5 of the 5 games have gone OVER the last 3 seasons.

Bucks: PG George Hill (neck) Out ** C Brook Lopez (back) Out

Suns: SF Dario Saric (knee) Out ** PG Cameron Payne (wrist) Out ** PG Landry Shamet (ankle) Out ** PG Landry Shamet (ankle) Out ** PF Frank Kaminsky (knee) Out

Bucks: SF Kris Middleton, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Bobby Portis, SG Grayson Allen, PG Jrue Holiday

Suns: SF Nikal Bridges, PF Jae Crowder, C Deandre Ayton, SG Devin Booker, PG Chris Paul

Bucks

Points: Giannis 29.2

Assists: Jrue Holiday 6.7

Rebounds: Giannis 11.3

Steals: Jrue Holiday 1.5

Blocks: Brook Lopez 3.0

Suns

Points: Devin Booker 25.7

Assists: Chris Paul 10.5

Rebounds: Deandre Ayton 10.4

Steals: Chris Paul 1.9

Blocks: JaVale McGee 1.0

Bucks: Mike Budenholzer.  Coach Budenholzer almost lost his job the season before he became an NBA CHAMPIONSHIP coach.  He also hasn’t compromised his style or approach.

Suns: Monty Williams.  Coach Williams is reaping the reward of doing ALL the work for years.  If you root for nothing else this season… root for Coach Williams.  He has put in the time with BAD teams and is showing that with a good roster… a good coach can do amazing things.  Go on coach!