The Phoenix Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday and will look to take a 2-0 series lead tonight.
Not only did Phoenix win and easily cover the spread but Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton crushed their NBA betting player props by easily going Over their point totals.
Two players that didn't do so well in that department were Devin Booker and Jae Crowder, who lead the way in our best free Bucks vs. Suns NBA Finals prop picks and predictions for Game 2 on July 8.
Bucks vs Suns game info
• Location: Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ
• Date: Thursday, July 8, 2021
• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
Bucks vs Suns player prop picks
- Devin Booker Under 2.5 Three-pointers Made (-145)
- Jae Crowder Under 10.5 points (-122)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 11.5 rebounds (-120)
(Read on for complete analysis.)
Bucks at Suns player prop picks analysis
Devin Booker Under 2.5 Three-pointers Made (-145)
Booker finished Game 1 with 27 points, falling just Under his points total of 28.5. But considering how poorly he shot the ball from deep it's a wonder that he even managed to score that much. Booker went just 1 for 8 from long range. And despite his team's success, Booker's 3-point shot hasn't been dropping for weeks.
In his last six games, Booker has made more than a single 3-ball just once, coming against the Clippers on June 28. During that six-game span, he has shot just 8-36 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
With the Over/Under on his 3-pointers made set at 2.5, a number he has surpassed in just four of his last 16 games, take the Under.
Jae Crowder Under 10.5 points (-122)
Booker's shot may have been a bit off on Tuesday night but he was still a hell of a lot better than Crowder. Crowder's defense and rebounding were crucial to the Suns' success and he led the team with a plus-19 rating, but he finished with just a single point on 0-8 shooting from the field.
Crowder torched the Clippers for 19 points and five 3-pointers in the series-clinching Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, but offensive performances like that are rare for the veteran forward.
Matter of fact, in his last six games that was the only occasion where he eclipsed double-digits in points and he has averaged just 6.3 points per contest on 27.9 percent shooting over that span. Take the Under on Crowder's points once again.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 11.5 rebounds (-120)
The biggest question for Game 1 was the status of Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo who was originally listed as doubtful due to a knee injury. But the two-time MVP ended up toughing it out and logging 35 minutes.
With the exception of that chase-down block that is being overplayed more times than a Post Malone song, Giannis wasn't moving around quite as fluidly as he normally does. However, he still made a major impact on the game and despite Milwaukee losing by 13 points, they were plus-1 when he was on the court.
One area he excelled in was on the boards where he grabbed 17 rebounds. With how badly center Brook Lopez was exploited on the defensive end of the floor, expect to see the Bucks use some smaller lineups in Game 2 which could see Giannis log plenty of minutes as their primary big man down low. That should help the Greek Freak go Over his rebounds total once again.
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