After trailing for most of the game, including their largest deficit of nine midway through the first quarter and early in the fourth quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks kept at it and continued to battle.
Then, in the final six minutes, they took control courtesy of a 19-8 run to record the 109-103 Game 4 win, which helps them tie up this Finals series at two games apiece.
Milwaukee's All-Stars rose to the occasion, providing big performances in the critical victory. Meanwhile, for the Suns, only Devin Booker stepped up as his game-high tally of 42 went in vain.
In what was a thrilling entertainer, here are the Player Ratings from Game 4:
Khris Middleton - 9.5
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
This is now the fifth game this postseason where the Bucks' season is on the line or one game away from being on the line and All-Star wing Khris Middleton has put on a huge performance.
Along with his playoff career-high points tally of 40 points, he also recorded six rebounds, four assists and a couple of steals. Each quarter, he seemed to get hotter but he left his best stretch of scoring for last as he scored 10 of the team's last 12 points including four clutch free throws.
In fact, over the final 2:15 minutes, he outscored the Suns himself 10-4.
Devin Booker - 9.5
Devin Booker's bounce-back game was one for the record books.
According to @EliasSports, Devin Booker already has the most points in Finals history by a player with 10 or fewer points in the previous game (previous record was 35 by George Mikan in 1949 Finals Game 3). pic.twitter.com/VQDE6iUaa3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 15, 2021
He went from finishing with just 10 points in Game 3 on 3-of-14 shooting to scoring a game-high 42 points on a career-high efficiency of 60.7 percent (17-of-28). Despite battling foul trouble in the second half, he scored 22 of his 42 in the second half including 18 in the third quarter alone.
Giannis Antetokounpo - 9
No third straight 40-point game for the Greek Freak but still, he never ceases to amaze. Just take a look at this incredible block late in the closing minutes of Game 4.
📸 EVERY ANGLE of @Giannis_An34's CLUTCH BLOCK! 📸#ThatsGame #NBAFinals
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2021
Game 5: Saturday, 9pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/PKsPkSYnIs
Just over a fortnight after hyperextending his left knee, Antetokounmpo finished Game 4 just two assists shy of his first Finals triple-double with 26 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocks on 11-of-19 shooting from the field.
Pat Connaughton - 8.5
After Bobby Portis stood out for the Bucks off the bench in Game 3, it was Pat Connaughton's chance to do so in Game 4.
Playing 31 minutes, the 28-year-old was at the right spots at the right times, including knocking down a big 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
PC3. BANG! pic.twitter.com/mPWtvPR5rg
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 15, 2021
He finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, three of which were on the offensive glass, as he recorded a game-high plus-minus of +21.
Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder - 7.5
Give the defence-first nature of this game, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder made their impact felt on the game by contributing across the board but didn't trouble the scorers as much as they would have liked.
The duo combined for 25 rebounds (17 for Ayton), eight assists, six blocks and three steals (all Crowder) but could only manage to score a combined 21 on 6-of-19 shooting from the field.
Their performances weren't bad but given the high standard of play they have set for themselves, especially Ayton, today was a bit of a let-down.
Jrue Holiday - 7
The 6-foot-3 two-way guard for the Bucks has struggled to consistently find his stroke this postseason and Game 4 was evidence of that.
A couple of days after he went 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-10 from long distance, in Game 3, Holiday's shots weren't falling once again. In 43 minutes of Game 4, he only knocked down four of his 20 field goal attempts including a 0-of-5 from 3-point land.
However, he did pitch in across the stat sheet with seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Chris Paul - 6
Chris Paul had one of the worst playoff games of the 2021 postseason, only finishing with 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting while committing five of the team's 17 turnovers.
For a player, called the Point God because of his mastery at that position including ball control, Paul has 15 turnovers over the last three games.
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