The Phoenix Suns will continue their pursuit of the first NBA championship in franchise history on Tuesday night when they host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of this year’s NBA Finals as 6-point home favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Phoenix has enjoyed a five-day break since disposing of the Los Angeles Clippers with a decisive 130-103 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, and will make its first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1993 in Tuesday night’s matchup at Phoenix Suns Arena.
The Suns’ impressive playoff run marks a dramatic turnaround for the team after missing the postseason in each of the past 10 seasons. Winners of 51 games during the regular season on their way to a second-place finish in the Western Conference standings, the Suns have maintained that momentum in this year’s playoffs, posting straight-up wins in 11 of their past 13 outings.
With shooting guard Devin Booker leading the attack, the Suns have also steadily rewarded bettors. Booker currently leads the team with 27 points per game, and has been key to the team’s current 10-3 straight-up run. However, Phoenix struggled to pay out as its series with the Clippers progressed, covering just twice at online sports betting sites in its past five outings, including a 1-3 ATS run as betting chalk. Despite their recent shaky results at the sportsbooks, the Suns look towards Game 1 as favourites to raise the trophy this time around, listed at -170 on the NBA playoff series prices.
Facing tempered expectations in the wake of an injury that sidelined superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks rose to the occasion with dominating victories over the Atlanta Hawks in Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1974. Now seeking to end a 50-year championship drought, the Bucks are hoping to have Antetokounmpo back in the lineup at some point in the series. However, that has not been enough to buoy Milwaukee on the NBA championship odds, where it opens the series set as a +150 underdog.
The Bucks also have plenty of work to do to reverse a recent losing trend against Phoenix. Milwaukee has dropped five of six to the Suns since January 2018, and has failed to cover in six of its past seven meetings including defeats in each of its past three visits to the desert. However, recent matchups between these teams have tended to be high scoring, fueling a 4-0 run for the OVER in totals betting.
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