Milwaukee Bucks: 5 players Jrue Holiday has shut down on defense
By Dalton Sell
James Harden versus Jrue Holiday could be a playoff preview for the Milwaukee Bucks
A three-time scoring champion, James Harden has proven to be one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. When he and the Brooklyn Nets clashed against the Bucks earlier this season, Holiday showed that he has the potential to slow Harden down.
In just under six and a half minutes, Holiday held Harden to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting, all of which came from 3-point territory. Holiday should have gotten more time against the 2017-18 league MVP in that matchup as Harden torched the rest of Milwaukee’s defense by finishing with 34 points on 13-of-25 shooting.
That was all the way back on January 18, where the Bucks lost to the Nets in a crushing 125-123 defeat. However, they will have back-to-back shots at redemption as they are set to square off against the Nets twice early next month. Furthermore, if the Bucks have any shot of making it out of the Eastern Conference this season, all signs point to them having to defeat the Nets in a seven-game series down the line.
Among the many thrilling matchups that will come between these two star-studded rosters, Harden versus Holiday is certainly one of the more compelling. Holiday will get his share of looks at Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as well, but after the potential he showed to slow Harden down in their first meeting of the season, he might need to stick with Harden more often than not.
Next. 3 concerns currently looming during the final stretch for Bucks. dark
No matter what happens, these two upcoming regular season matchups against Brooklyn will be a pivotal test for Holiday and the Bucks as they look to gain ground in the standings.