The Phoenix Suns put on a show in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night as they defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-105. The trio of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton all showed up for the Suns in Game 1, and it actually would have been a historic night for one of them had it not been for a last-second mishap.
Ayton was a beast for Phoenix all night long, and he actually almost finished with what would have been a historic 20-20 game had it not been for Paul stealing away his 20th board:
Check out how Booker reacted as soon as he realized that Ayton missed out on the 20-20 (he ended up with 22 points and 19 rebounds). Even Paul himself realized his mistake not long after and he even pleaded to the official's table to give that final rebound to Ayton. The Suns' Point God also apologized to Ayton right after the final buzzer.
According to Statmuse, Ayton would have been the first player to have registered a 20-point, 20-rebound game in the NBA Finals in nearly two decades. The last time we saw a similar stat line was back in 2004 when the great Shaquille O'Neal posted 36 points and 20 rebounds during the 2004 NBA Finals.
We all know that Chris Paul has a knack for stealing the ball from opponents, but this time around, he stole one away from his own Suns teammate. It's all good, though, and Deandre Ayton himself didn't look too upset after the game.
In the end, the most important thing here is that the Suns came out on top. They are now up 1-0 in the series and will look to make it a two-game advantage when they take on Milwaukee in Game 2 on Thursday.
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