Bucks beat Suns to become 1st team to clinch 2023 playoff spot
The Milwaukee Bucks are heading back to the postseason.
With a 116-104 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the Bucks officially clinched a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists for Milwaukee, while Devin Booker scored 30 in defeat.
The two-time MVP Antetokounmpo put in 20 points in the first half, helping the Bucks take a nine-point lead into the break. Booker scored 17 in the third and Phoenix rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead, but Antetokounmpo and the Bucks answered back to close it out.
Milwaukee's magic number to clinch a top-four seed - which would guarantee home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs - is three.
The victory marked the Bucks' 50th win of the season. Milwaukee has won at least 50 games in four of five seasons under head coach Mike Budenholzer, with the only exception being the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
The Bucks return home to face the Indiana Pacers on Thursday following a 2-1 road trip.