It was a game 3 struggle until the Milwaukee Bucks took the lead at halftime

The Milwaukee Bucks knew what they had to do in their first National Basketball Association finals in 47 years, but until their big run late in the second quarter, their frustrated fans were getting impatient.

With the Phoenix Suns never having won an NBA championship and up 2-0 in the best-of-seven, Milwaukee again got a big game from its 6-foot-10 standout Gianni Antetokounmpo, but this time he got help from his teammates in carting off the 120-100 win Sunday on its home court at Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee, with its only title in 1971, had its usual rowdy home crowd inside and outside the venue at Deer District, it was again jammed with Bucks fans. It no doubt was a concern when Western Conference champion Phoenix began with a quick lead and was ahead by 3 points after one quarter.

But Antetokounmpo wasn’t worried. After missing back-to-back games in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Brooklyn Nets with a hyper-extended left knee, he was coming off two-straight stellar games when he tossed in 42 and 41 points and brought down 12 and 14 rebounds as well as handing out assists.

“We knew what type of game it was going  to be,” he said. “We knew we had to come here, play good, smart basketball, and compete as hard as possible.”

Not only did the “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo take charge on the court, but he provided the leadership, often screaming at his teammates in game 2 time outs. This time, he turned in the game-high 41 points and even made good on 13-of-17 from the foul line. Free throw shooting had been a problem for him, but at home he didn’t have to hear fans chanting down from 1 to 10 seconds to disturb him while constantly bouncing the ball at the charity stripe.

In addition, teammates Rue Holiday and Khris Middleton bounced back from two poor games on the road, Holiday with 21 points that included five 3s, and Middleton added 18 points to go with nine boards.

The Suns were doing fine until a red-hot 6-11 Deandre Ayton picked up his third personal foul in the first quarter, and the Bucks took charge with their now height advantage to come away with a 9-0 run led by Antetokounmpo’s seven points in a row.

Inside and outside, the crowd roared as its team followed up four-straight points from the Suns to go on a 16-3 run and it was 60-45 at halftime. When Phoenix made a short run late in the third quarter, back came the Bucks to limit the visitors to nine 3-pointers after making 20 in its game 2 victory.

Phoenix again relied on its leader, veteran point guard Chris Paul, who tallied 19 points and dished out 11 assists, but couldn’t stop the Milwaukee clutch shooting, steals that led to easy baskets, and second-chance buckets.

Ayton and the 6-10 Jae Crowder each had 18 points, but when soaring Ayton became sidelined with his fourth foul in the 2nd quarter, it put a damper on his team’s offense and rebounding and even blocked shots.

Plus, Mikal Bridges, who had a career high of 27 points in game two, took only four shots this time and contributed only four points. And Paul’s back court mate, Devin Booker, shot only 3-for-14 and accounted for only 10 points.

For the Bucks, versatile veteran guard Bobby Portis came up with 14 points, scored the last two baskets before the break, and finished up two fast breaks with a pair of resounding dunks.

In the final minutes, Milwaukee emptied its bench as the crowd cheered for each player leaving the court. Game four is Wednesday night back in Bucks’ territory, with the series guaranteed to return to Phoenix afterward.

And you can be sure that again the home crowd will be chanting “Bucks in 6, Bucks in 6.”

But lose game 4 and the road gets steeper for Milwaukee, with one more loss sending it home and hoping it wouldn’t take this long to again land in the finals. Phoenix obviously is just seeking its first title after falling short in three other finals.