PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer isn’t one to look beyond what’s in front of him; and after what was their best win of the season, a 123-112 win over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, his mindset was no different with the prospect of playing his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, for the first time since being fired by them following the 2023 season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“Yeah, I’m gonna just enjoy tonight,” Budenholzer said postgame Friday when asked about Monday’s matchup against the Bucks. “We got two days and we’ll get ready to play and it’ll be good. We’ll have a little practice on Sunday. But, I think we’re just going to take this in tonight.”
Budenholzer was fired by Milwaukee on May 4, 2023 after losing in five games in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat and a mere two seasons after winning the Finals in 2021 (ironically against Phoenix).
After spending five seasons with the franchise, being let go and taking the 2023-24 season off, Budenholzer will take on his former Bucks team in the second game of Phoenix’s toughest stretch of the season — 10 games against the NBA’s best teams — in their quest to stay in the play-in and even catch the Sacramento Kings for the 9th seed.
Budenholzer may not wear the resentment or hunger on his face as he prepares to take on his former team, but the fire is there; and look no further than Kevin Durant, who, after erupting for 42 points to lead the Suns over the Cavs, spoke on his coach’s return against his former team and how the roster will have his back.
“Every game at this point, where we are, means a lot,” Durant said when asked if Monday’s matchup against Budenholzer’s former team means a bit extra. “I wouldn’t say that’s bulletin board material that he got fired from there and won a championship there, but, knowing Bud, I know that he’ll have a little bit more juice to play against his former team.
“So, we got to match his energy and usually great teams match the coach’s energy, so we look forward to playing that game.”
Phoenix (34-37), winners of three straight, is just 1½ games behind the Kings (35-35) for the No. 9 seed but is still tied with the Dallas Mavericks (34-37) for the final spot in the West play-in, but owns the tiebreaker over the heavily depleted Mavs.
Following Milwaukee, the Suns still have a gauntlet ahead of them that includes Boston twice, Milwaukee again, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Houston and Minnesota.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenoNBA, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
