Bucks vs. Suns: NBA Finals Game 2 betting odds, preview, and pick

The 2021 NBA Finals are upon us, and now that the dust has settled after Game 1, we have a better idea of how this series might unfold. After rumblings over the last few days about whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo would play, he eventually did and looked better than any Bucks fan (or bettor) dared hope.

And yet the Suns won quite comfortably in the end, getting star-level performances from their three-headed monster of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton. Do the Bucks have more tricks up their sleeve, or are the Suns about to take a commanding lead?

Game 2 is on ABC this Thursday, July 8 at 9:00 p.m ET, and we have our betting odds and pick below.

GIANNIS REALLY IS A FREAK

Not only did Antetokounmpo play, but given the severity of his injury and the reporting that had surrounded his rehab process to that point, he played very well. If he was limited by anything, it was his conditioning, which clearly had taken a hit with a week away from the intensity of playoff basketball.

Still, Giannis was able to mostly be, well, Giannis and that is a win for the Bucks going forward. He didn’t quite have every scoring option in his bag, but he still managed to add 20 points, 17 boards, and four assists. If this is the baseline for the Giannis we’re getting in this series, Milwaukee has a chance.

Everything else though? Not as pretty of a picture for the Bucks.

The Suns were exquisite on both sides of the ball. None more so than Chris Paul, who is rubbing it in Father Time’s face at this point. The "Point God" had 32 points on 19 shots to go with nine assists and his usual frisky defense. The Bucks tried every defensive coverage to attempt to slow down Paul and Booker (who added a tidy 27 points of his own), but to no avail.

BROOK LOPEZ WASN’T THE PROBLEM

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has been accused of inflexibility with adjustments and lineup changes in the past, so it is a bitter irony how this game turned out. The Bucks switched 1-5 to start the game, but a series of made shots by Paul and Booker against Lopez caused Bud to return to drop coverage.

But staying in man to man and dropping didn’t work either. The Suns just patiently worked until they got Lopez or Bobby Portis on a switch, then Booker or CP3 pulled the ball out, the rest of the team spaced to the perimeter, and they got whatever look they wanted from outside.

Eventually, Coach Bud panicked to the point of benching Lopez entirely, which was a big mistake. The Suns were hitting tough shots, and the Bucks have to be comfortable conceding something. Their only path to victory includes Lopez. Whether they switch or play drop, they simply need to play better. In a game they eventually lost by 13, the Bucks starters when on the court together were only outscored by two. That’s basically a coin flip.

The Bucks did rally briefly in the fourth quarter with Lopez out of the game, but that only lasted as long as Booker and Ayton were both on the bench. Giannis was able to get the Bucks going in transition and key some open 3-point attempts, as the Bucks briefly cut the lead to seven. But with Ayton and Booker back in, the tide reversed. The Bucks simply don’t have the horses to play extended stretches with Giannis at the five, even when "The Greek Freak" is at full strength.

NBA Finals Game 2 PICK: BUCKS +5.5

The Suns played close to perfect, while the Bucks were anything but. Milwaukee only attempted five shots in the restricted area in the second half, as Giannis tired and Lopez sat. Antetokounmpo was the only Buck to have any success getting to the foul line too. Khris Middleton took zero free throws, and Jrue Holiday only took two. That is not a recipe for sustained offensive success, nor is it some structural problem that must continue. The Bucks' guards need to be much more aggressive touching the paint, and Lopez needs to play more and feature on offense whenever Giannis sits.

The Bucks have a lot they can clean up for Game 2, and Giannis should have improved conditioning as well. I like them to cover here.

FEATURED PLAYER PROP: BROOK LOPEZ OVER 19.5 POINTS, REBOUNDS, and ASSISTS

Lopez scored 17 points while adding six rebounds and an assist in Game 1. And mind you, that was only in 22 minutes of action, with Budenholzer overreacting to how the Suns were scoring against their defensive coverages in the first half. When he watches the tape, he’ll realize that the minutes that Giannis and Brook played together with the starters, were the best the Bucks looked all game. 

The Bucks are a fairly thin outfit, and simply can’t afford to bench one of their most gifted scorers. Expect Lopez to play closer to his normal minutes in Game 2, and hit the Over on his overall production.