Suns shift focus, eye rebound for Game 4

Bucks' big win puts Phoenix on its heels, but Crowder says team will bounce back

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder's homecoming game was memorable for a lot of reasons.

The former Marquette standout returned to Wisconsin on Sunday for Game 3 of the NBA Finals with Phoenix leading 2-0 and delivered his best game of the series with six field goals. He was also on the wrong side of a series of Giannis Antetokounmpo highlights.

For the first time in the Finals, the Suns rose in Milwaukee on Monday wondering what the rebound feels like.

“Whenever we win, we don't get too high. You just move on to the next one,” said Crowder, who was also served a technical late in the game after a physical exchange with Antetokounmpo, who has put up back-to-back 40-point games.

“You have a loss, you do the same. You got to do it with more focus, obviously. But I've been preaching that. That's all. That's my message, is just respond to it in the right way and do it collectively and we'll be fine.”

Crowder said the Suns are shifting their focus and reminding one another that character wins at this time of year.

“We'll be fine. We're going to watch film, going to talk this out. Going to man up to it,” Crowder said. “Coach is going to do a good job of showing us what went wrong. We got to man up and do what we've been doing all year: just respond to it, respond to a defeat, respond to things not going our way.”

Suns coach Monty Williams spent more time counselling than coaching in the second half of Game 3.

He consoled Devin Booker, who suffered a 3-of-14 shooting night in defeat, and reminded Deandre Ayton to keep his eyes focused forward. Ayton was saddled with foul trouble, souring his strong start with 16 points in 14 minutes. And he debated 36-year-old point guard Chris Paul on the sideline during the fourth quarter, when the Bucks ballooned their lead to 20 and beyond.

Williams encouraged all of them to forget the Game 3 loss and go get the next one.

“Just regroup, refocus, go over film and respond,” Booker said.

“We're on the road and we have to come in with the energy and effort. Like you said, the 50/50 balls, the offensive rebounds, protect the paint — just the details that we talked about. But that's what the playoffs is.”