The Phoenix Suns turned Milwaukee’s home court into a shooting gallery on Tuesday night, drilling a season-high 24 three-pointers to defeat the Bucks, 129-114, at Fiserv Forum. Behind a balanced scoring attack and a decisive fourth-quarter surge, Phoenix strengthened its playoff position in the Western Conference while deepening Milwaukee’s late-season slide.
The victory lifted the Suns to 38-27, good for seventh place in the West and just one game behind Denver. The Bucks, meanwhile, fell to 27-37, dropping their sixth game in seven outings and sliding further from postseason contention in the East.
A Barrage From Beyond the Arc
Phoenix’s offense operated with precision and confidence, connecting on 24 of 51 attempts from three-point range — an exceptional 53.9 percent. The long-range accuracy proved decisive in a game that featured 15 ties and 12 lead changes through three quarters.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 27 points, seven assists and five rebounds, orchestrating an offense that consistently found open shooters. Jalen Green added 25 points, while Royce O’Neale delivered 21 points, including the game’s most dramatic shot.
Milwaukee matched Phoenix shot for shot early and finished with a solid 51.2 percent from the field, hitting 16 three-pointers of its own. But the Bucks could not keep pace with the Suns’ relentless spacing and ball movement that created open looks across the perimeter.
O’Neale’s Half-Court Dagger Shifts Momentum
The contest swung in the final seconds of the third quarter.
With the score tight and tension building, “O’Neale put the Suns ahead for good with a tiebreaking buzzer-beater from about 50 feet to end the third quarter.” The improbable shot sent Phoenix into the final period with a 104-97 advantage and visibly deflated the home crowd.
Phoenix immediately pressed the advantage. “Phoenix then scored the first seven points of the final period to extend its lead to 107-97.” The run created separation the Bucks never overcame.
The Suns outscored Milwaukee 29-17 in the fourth quarter, turning a competitive duel into a controlled finish.
Kuzma’s Season High Not Enough for Milwaukee
Despite the loss, Kyle Kuzma delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, pouring in a season-high 33 points, including six three-pointers. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner each added 22 points, while Ousmane Dieng contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bucks led 65-62 at halftime after edging the Suns 35-26 in the second quarter. But defensive lapses in the second half proved costly, particularly along the arc where Phoenix repeatedly found clean looks.
Milwaukee also continued to navigate roster disruptions. Taurean Prince returned following neck surgery, but the team remained without Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims. Phoenix, by contrast, welcomed back Jordan Goodwin from a calf strain, bolstering its rotation.
Western Push, Eastern Slide
The victory marked Phoenix’s fifth win in six games as it opened a six-game road trip. With the Western Conference playoff race tightening, the Suns appear to be peaking at a critical stretch of the season.
Milwaukee’s trajectory is less certain. A 3-7 homestand concluded with Tuesday’s defeat, leaving the Bucks outside the Eastern Conference’s top ten and searching for consistency on both ends of the floor.
For a league increasingly defined by perimeter shooting, Phoenix offered a vivid demonstration of basketball’s modern arithmetic: three points, when delivered in volume and at elite accuracy, can overwhelm even a productive offense. On Tuesday night, the Suns’ 24 made threes were not just a statistic — they were the story.
