The Phoenix Suns played their second consecutive road matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks inGame 4of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
Look back at our updates onthe game, which the Buckswon, 109-103.
The Bucks and Suns are now 2-2 in the series.
Game 5 is Saturday at Phoenix Suns Arena, 6p.m.
MORE: Phoenix Xavier Prep nuns prayingfor Suns
Bucks' Middleton drives Bucks to top Suns late in 4th quarter
"BUCKS IN 6! BUCKS IN 6! BUCKS IN 6!"
Thats what the crowd loudly chanted in the final seconds of Game 4 atFiserv Forum in Milwaukeeas the Bucks beat the Suns, 109-103, to eventhe series at 2-2.
The Suns were up by as much as nine in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks persevered behind Khris Middleton's 40-point explosion (15-for-33 field goal shooting), 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 43 minutes. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the Bucks' second-leading scorer at 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists.
Devin Booker has 42 points in the loss.
The biggest shift in momentum for the Bucks was huge block on an alley-oop to Deandre Ayton (6 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists), which could've tied the game at 103 with just over one minute left in the game.
Booker lucky refs missed his potential sixth foul
Devin Booker is luckier than a leprechaun on St. Patricks Day. He didn'tget called for his sixth foul on this play, defending Jrue Holiday going up for a layup on a fast break around the three-minute mark.
Booker returned to the game halfway through the final period after picking up his fifth foul around the 11-minute mark.
After Suns head coach Monty Williams spoke out about the officiating after Game 3, the referees missed this potential foul call that would've stopped one of his greatest playoffperformances thus far.
Booker makes NBA history in hisplayoffs debut
Devin Booker was unstoppable through the third quarter, embodying hisoft-used Kobe-inspired "Be Legendary" mantra.
The Suns All-Starreached 522 points in this postseason at the end of the third, marking the most points ever scored by a player in his first appearance in the playoffs. Booker passedHall of Famers Rick Barry and Julius Erving, who respectively scored 521and 518 in their playoff debuts in 1967 and 1977.
That's the "dog" Chris Paul was praisingwhen he spoke aboutBooker after the Suns won Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals over the Los Angeles Clippersto advance to the NBA Finals.
Booker's 38 points in 31 minutes after the third had him as the only Suns player in double-digits scoring.
Ayton eating on the glass
The aggression of Deandre Ayton came into question from many local Phoenix sports and NBA media members during his first two pro seasonsand into the early part of this past regular season.
In theseplayoffs and Game 4 of the Finals, Ayton has been a dominant rebounding force and self-actualizing his intense "This is the finals!" speech to his teammates before losing Game 3.
Ayton has a game-high13 rebounds, scored 6 points and dished out 5 assistshalfway through the third quarter. The Bucks'Giannis Antetokounmpo trails Ayton's rebounding total with 7.
Booker's burning asSuns, Bucks in halftime tie
At the start of Game 3, the Bucks'All-NBA Defensive First Team guard Jrue Holiday applied pressure onDevin Booker in one of his first isolation plays and slapped the ball away twice. Booker trotted back on defense after the ball was stolenfrom him and visibly yelled, "Aite, aite!" to respect his defense, and Booker didn't perform well for the rest of the game with a paltry 10 points.
The first half of Game 4 is totally different story as Book cooked up 20 points in 22 minutes, leading all scorers.He's shooting 53% (8-for-15),chipped in 1 rebound and 2 assists.
The score was 52-52, and the Bucks top duoAntetokounmpo and Middleton have 12 and 16 points, respectively.
Chris Paul hasn't scored much, getting just 2 points, 3 rebounds and5 assists in the half.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson attend Game 4
Could Kareem and 'The Big O' attending the game bring more luck to the Bucks?
They're oneof the greatest duos in NBA history who led the teamto itsonly NBA title in 1971, before Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam and had his birth name Lew Alcindor.They also led Milwaukee to their last NBA Finals appearance in 1974, when they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
The Fiserv Forum jumbotron showed the legendsKareem and Robertson sitting together, which led to a raucous response. The NBA's all-time leading scorer is wearing a Bucks hooded sweatshirt and the previous triple-double king Robertson— before Russell Westbrook— made the trip from his home in Cincinnati to attend tonight's game.
Kareem hasbeen vocal about his support for the Bucks recently. He reenactedhis own coin flip of the historic 1969 NBA Draft, from which the Bucks won the then-UCLA legend's draft rights and Suns got center Neal Walk as a result.
Sunsend1st quarter leading Bucks, 23-20
The Suns got several defensive stops and are in front of the Bucks after the first period, 23-20. Deandre Ayton (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists)and Devin Booker (8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist)have established themselves inside and outside, respectively.
For the second quarter, the Suns have gone to a small-ball lineup to give Ayton a rest. Their backup swingman Torrey Craig (4 points, 2 rebounds) is playing power forward and Jae Crowder (6 points off two 3s, 3 rebounds, 2 assists)is the presumptive center.
The Bucks biggest star Giannis Antetokoumnpo is his team's leading scorer with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 14 minutes played.
Score is now tied at 33 with 6:50 remaining in the first half.
Suns on fast 8-0 run to start Game 4
The Bucks called a timeout just before the eight-minute mark to stop the Suns' fast 8-0 run, as the score was 10-4.
After his second-worst performance of the entire season in Game 3 (10 points, 3-14 field goal shooting) Devin Bookerasserted himself scored 4 points before the timeout, and has 8 points in nine total minutes played.Chris Paul and Ayton each scored to lead the charge, and Ayton has 5 rebounds already.
Suns were up 18-9 before the Bucks cut the lead to 4 just before Suns called their first timeout near the thre-minute mark.
'Suns in 4' trendsetter,Phoenix'sNick McKellar getshis own bobblehead
The 'Suns in4" catchphrase has become as hot as the Valley's July heatwave.Suns fans have Phoenix native and Sunnyslope alum Nick McKellar to thank for starting the trend in the most violent way in support of his favorite team.
McKellar has gone from getting shineon social media from Suns All-Star Devin Booker, to selling the slogan etched onhis own customized T-shirts on Amazon's website, to now having his own bobblehead in his"Suns In 4"-finger likeness.
Bobblehead maker BobbleBoss is honoring McKellar with a new limited-edition keepsake collectible bobblehead.
Only 2,021 pcs of the 7-inch design will be made worldwide, each individually numbered. Proceeds from the bobblehead sales will be donated to charity.
"I’m super excited to have teamed up with Bobble Boss to create the 'Suns in 4' Bobblehead and even more excited to donate $5 of each order to Boys & Girls Club of The Valley charity!” McKellar said in a press release.
Nick McKellar Suns in 4 Guy bobbleheads are available for pre-order for $39.95 online at BobbleheadBoss.com.
Pregame reading
Catch up on these stories from The Arizona Republic to prepare for Game 4of the Suns vs. Bucks series:
More Bucks vs. Suns NBA Finals coverage:
- Suns-Bucks Game 4 picks|Suns seek answers forAntetokoumnpo in Game 4
- Game 3 rewind| Game 3 Sun-Bucks blog|Game 3 reactions| Game 3 report card|Game 3 photos
- Suns' Bridges, Bucks' Middleton key X-factor matchupin Game 4
- 2021 NBA Finals: Game Schedule| MVP odds|Uniform tracker
- Deandre Ayton's intenseGame 4 pregame speech to Suns
MORE: Larry Fitzgerald, Suns owner Robert Sarver friendship may include NBA title rings
Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at dana.scott@azcentral.com or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.
Support local journalism.Start your online subscription today.
