Skip to main content

Jrue Holiday comes up clutch in fourth quarter, leads Bucks to first win over Jazz in Utah since 2001


 


Early in the fourth quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks' matchup with the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Jrue Holiday tried to drive to the basket but was not able to find a clear path through the defense. As he was forced to the baseline, he could have brought the ball back out and reset the offense, but instead fired a leaning jumper that he released from behind the backboard. 


Somehow, it not only went in but caught nothing but net. When shots like that are going down, it's a good sign it's going to be your night.

 




This was indeed the Bucks' night, as they held off the Jazz down the stretch for a 117-111 win. Taking down one of the best teams in the Western Conference on the road is always an impressive result, but this one was extra special for the Bucks as it was their first win in Utah since Oct. 30, 2001 -- 7,440 days ago. Giannis Antetokounmpo was six years old when that game happened, and the Jazz were still led by John Stockton and Karl Malone. 


In addition to banishing their Utah demons, the Bucks also got Brook Lopez back in this game. The big man had not played since opening night due to a back injury that required surgery, but he was finally ready to go. He came off the bench to score six points in 14 minutes. 


Those were the catchy headlines, but the reason the Bucks won this game was Holiday. The veteran point guard got off to a bit of a slow start due to injuries, but has been fantastic over the last few months and is quietly putting together one of the best seasons of his career. That continued on Monday as he finished with 29 points, four rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and came up with clutch plays on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter. 


After a basket by Mike Conley on the first possession of the frame put Utah up by six, things could have gone sideways for Milwaukee. Instead, Holiday put the Bucks on his back, ripping off a personal 7-0 run to give the Bucks the lead. All told, he finished with 12 of his 29 points in the fourth. 


He also helped seal the win by coming up with a huge steal in the final minute. With the Bucks clinging to a four-point lead, Holiday picked up Donovan Mitchell full-court, snaked his way around multiple screens and poked the ball away from behind. The Bucks didn't end up scoring on the ensuing possession, but they were able to melt away another 20 seconds, which was crucial at that stage of the game. 





Thanks to Holiday's heroics, the Bucks have now won seven of their last eight games, and are all alone in second place in the Eastern Conference at 43-26. This hasn't always been the smoothest season for the Bucks, but they're right there in the race for the No. 1 overall seed -- two games behind the Miami Heat -- and are 31-9 when Giannis, Holiday and Khris Middleton have been in the lineup. With Lopez back now as well, things are trending in the right direction for the defending champs. 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Klay Thompson to sit out Warriors preseason games in Japan as Kerr says he needs more time to ramp-up

  Klay Thompson may have returned healthy to the Golden State Warriors last season, but the scars from his two missed seasons are still quite visible. The Warriors played their first of two preseason games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and will play another on Sunday, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson will not be playing at all during the trip to Japan. "Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up," Kerr said before Friday's victory over Washington. "He's just not quite ready to play at this point just based on where, you know, we're so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games." Typically, so little time to ramp up wouldn't be a problem for a veteran in a preseason context. The games tend to be so low-impact and demand so few minutes out of a team's best players that they can safely jog through them. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shaquille O'Neal says Dennis Rodman was his worst teammate: 'He was a great player, but he made it hard'

  Shaquille O'Neal played for six franchises over a 20-year NBA career. That's a lot of teammates. Speaking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champion and Hall of Famer revealed which one of those teammates was the worst.  "Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman," O'Neal said. "He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants. So we had to be there an hour before the game. He'd come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds." O'Neal played with some characters in his time. We know about his beef with Kobe Bryant, who we know wasn't always the easiest teammate to get along with, though Shaq has long expressed regret over the way he and Bryant handled their relationship as young superstars, and eventually, he ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kevin Durant injury update: Nets rule star out for home-and-home vs. Raptors, hopeful for return later in week

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however.  "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get...
Post a Comment
Read more