You don’t have to tell Chris Paul. He knows that he must step up in order for the Suns to defeat the Bucks and capture the 2021 NBA championship.
In Phoenix’s Game 4 loss, Paul scored 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting and turned the ball over five times. The All-Star point guard, who averaged 2.2 turnovers per game during the regular season, has 15 turnovers in his last three games. Paul’s uncharacteristic slip-ups have left some wondering if he is dealing with a hand injury, but he dismissed any concerns about his health status.
“It’s something I don’t dwell on,” Paul said of the turnover troubles during his Friday media availability. “Even though it may be an anomaly for me, it happens. I turned the ball over hella times before. End of the day, we got to win the game. And me turning the ball over is not giving us enough shots at the basket. So, I’ll figure it out.”
Milwaukee, meanwhile, finds itself in a much better place returning to Phoenix than when it left. After falling into a 2-0 hole, the Bucks responded with better all-around efforts in Games 3 and 4, turning the remainder of the NBA Finals into a best-of-three series.
“Sometimes when you are down 0-1 or down 0-2, whatever the case might be, you don’t really care about that,” Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “You care about how can you get one, how can you get a second one. Then you kind of build momentum and good things happen. So, I think we got to give credit to all the winning habits we built throughout the year that we are able to know that when we’re down, we still figure out ways to win games.”
Will Milwaukee take Game 5 for its third consecutive win? Or can Phoenix bounce back on its home court?
Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from Suns vs. Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals. Follow along here for complete results from Game 5 on Saturday night.
MORE: Watch the NBA Finals live with fuboTV (7-day trial)
Suns vs. Bucks score
| Game 5 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Suns | 37 | — | — | — | — |
| Bucks | 21 | — | — | — | — |
Suns vs. Bucks live updates, highlights from Game 5
(All times Eastern)
End of first quarter: Suns 37, Bucks 21
9:30 p.m. — The Suns’ offense is firing on all cylinders. Phoenix is 12 of 15 from the field as a team.
9:20 p.m. — Jae Crowder already has eight points, including this fast-break dunk. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is not happy with his squad.
9:15 p.m. — And here we go. Jrue Holiday scores the first points of Game 5.
9:05 p.m. — Suns star Devin Booker scored 42 points on 17-of-28 shooting in Game 4. Can the Bucks slow him down in Game 5?
8:50 p.m. — The starters for each team …
- Bucks: Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, P.J. Tucker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
- Suns: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
8:30 p.m. — COVID-19 is looming large over the NBA Finals.
Mike Budenholzer says the Bucks will not have a full staff available for tonight’s game in the wake of Thanasis Antetokounmpo entering the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols this afternoon ahead of tonight’s Game 5.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 17, 2021
The NBA just announced referee Sean Wright will not work tonight’s game because he, too, is in the league’s Health and Safety Protocols. James Williams will replace him.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 17, 2021
Suns vs. Bucks start time
- Date: Saturday, July 17
- Start time: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT
Game 5 of the NBA Finals will tip off at 9 p.m. ET. The series will shift from Phoenix back to Milwaukee for Game 6.
How to watch the NBA Finals
Bucks vs. Suns will be broadcast live on ABC. You can live-stream Game 5 via Watch ESPN or the Watch ESPN app.
The game can also be streamed on fuboTV, which offers a 7-day free trial.
NBA Finals schedule 2021
(All times Eastern)
(3) Bucks vs. (2) Suns: Series tied 2-2
| Date | Game | Time | National TV |
| July 6 | Suns 118, Bucks 105 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| July 8 | Suns 118, Bucks 108 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| July 11 | Bucks 120, Suns 100 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| July 14 | Bucks 109, Suns 103 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| July 17 | Game 5 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| July 20 | Game 6 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| July 22 | Game 7* | 9 p.m. | ABC |
* If necessary
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