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Devin Booker got 31 points, Chris Paul added 23 points and 8 assists and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 in Game 2 of the 2021 NBA Finals (www.NBA.com). The Suns have taken a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, winning both of their home games, before the series shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4.
Nigeria and Greece’s pride, “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, led the Bucks with 42 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first player to score at least 20 points in a Finals’ quarter since Michael Jordan scored 22 in 1993, but it was not enough to overcome the Suns this morning. Game 3 will be in Milwaukee on Sunday night, live on ESPN 2 from 2:00 a.m. CAT in the early hours of Monday morning.
Quotes Monty Williams (Suns Head Coach): “The thing about Devin, he shoots the same way first quarter, fourth quarter, doesn't matter, his shot looks the same. That's a guy that's put a ton of work in his shot, but the mentality, he's calm in those moments. So, we're grateful for those contributions in those moments.”
Mike Budenholzer (Bucks Head Coach) on Giannis: “I think there's feedback between him and myself and the sports performance (team). I think he's in a pretty good place. Obviously conditioning-wise, to take — first of all, to have the injury, and then to have five days, six days, whatever it was, before Game 1. But he wants to be out there. It's hard — I think he understands and I think he'll be better going into Game 3, his conditioning, everything. I think he want us to lean on him hard. He wants as much responsibility as we can give him, and that's part of what makes him great.”
Chris Paul (Suns): “I do a pretty good job of staying in the moment. Maybe a lot of the guys on our team, it's their first playoff series, they don't know the heartache or the heartbreak. They’re just out there playing. So, for me I know how quick things can change. I know how a possession or a play can change the dynamics of an entire series. So, for me I don't get too high, I don't get too low, I just stay even keel. I wasn't always like that, but I know that these situations are — don't happen every day.”
Mikal Bridges (Suns): “Got to treat it like it's Game 1. We talk about it in the locker room and our next game is the most important game. That's in the regular season, that's in the playoffs, the Finals no matter what, our next game is our most important game.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks): “It's always good to play at home in front of your fans. But trying not to think about that right now. Just trying to think about what we have to do to put ourselves in a position to win, what I got to do, what the team got to do. We've got to watch the clips. We took a step toward the right direction but we have to keep getting better. We have to keep getting better in order for us to put ourselves in a position to win this series. But we're going to figure it out.”
Please find transcripts and a photo (please credit NBAE/Getty Images) attached. To view the full media availability sessions, click on the links below. For all things NBA Finals, register on NBA Media Central (https://on.nba.com/2UDdXtT). To request to join Finals media availability zoom calls, please respond to this email.
Game 2 Postgame Media Availability:
Bucks Postgame Media Availability (https://bit.ly/2TSZhqp) Suns Postgame Media Availability (https://bit.ly/3xv5tnb) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
