If Milwaukee is going to claim its first NBA title in 50 years it will have to claw out of an 0-2 hole after Phoenix won Game 2 118-108 Thursday night.

The second quarter proved too much to overcome for the Bucks. After taking a 29-26 lead following the first period, the Suns outscored Milwaukee by 14 points and went into the half with an 11-point lead. The Bucks made several runs in the third and fourth quarters but were never able to get closer than four as they fell to 0-4 against Phoenix this season.

Mikal Bridges was a problem throughout. He scored 13 points in the first half and finished with a playoff career-high 27 points. But Chris Paul and Devin Booker also proved to be Buck killers again. The duo combined for 54 points and that included Booker going 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. As a team, Phoenix shot 50-percent (20-for-40) on 3-pointers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was more than up to the challenge. The two-time NBA MVP scored a playoff career-high 42 points, topping the 41 he had in the 2019 first round against Detroit. It including 20 in the third quarter, which was the third-most by any player in a single quarter in an NBA Finals game since Michael Jordan in 1993. He added 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

However, Milwaukee’s other two stars — Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday — struggled offensively. They were just 12-for-37 from the field and combined for 28 points. Middleton had just 11 points, his fewest in a playoff game since the first round of the 2020 postseason. Phoenix was actually 15 points better than the Bucks when Middleton was on the floor. Holiday, meanwhile, is now shooting 31.4% through the first two games.

Pat Connaughton gave Milwaukee a lift off the bench by scoring 14 points (4-for-9 on 3P), but the rest of the reserves had only seven points.

The Bucks are now facing an 0-2 hole for a second time in these playoffs. They were able to erase that against Brooklyn in the second round to become just the 30th team in playoff history to comeback after going down two games to start a series. They’ll look to start that process again when Game 3 tips on Sunday night in Milwaukee.