Milwaukee Bucks down Phoenix Suns to clinch first NBA title since 1971

The Milwaukee
Bucks clinched their first NBA title since 1971 as a 50-point burst from two-time MVP Giannis
Antetokounmpo helped secure a 105-98 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and an unassailable 4-2 lead in the Finals series.

The win
makes the Bucks only the fifth team in NBA Finals history to win the championship
after losing the first two games in the best-of-seven series.

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Suns guard Devin
Booker starred with two 40-point performances in two of the three defeats
since, but was unable to emulate his form at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee as
the Bucks secured their second NBA title in front of a raucous home support.

The Bucks,
playing in their first Finals since 1974, raced to a 13-point lead in the first
quarter before the Suns rallied back to briefly lead with a 31-13 win in the
second quarter. The Bucks edged the Suns 35-30 in the third
before seeing out the win with a 28-21 finish in the final quarter.

“I want to thank Milwaukee for believing in me. I want to thank my teammates for playing hard with me,” Antetokounmpo, who became only the seventh player in history to score 50 points in a Finals game, said. “I’m thankful I was able to get it done.”

The Greek national added 14 rebounds, two assists and five blocked shots, with Khris Middleton the next leading scorer for the Bucks with 17 points. 

Having reached the Finals for the first the first time in his 16-year-career, Suns guard Chris Paul will have to wait for at least another year for a maiden NBA title. The 36-year-old led the Suns’ scoring with 26 points with Booker adding 19.