3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ close win over Dallas Mavericks

Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday paved the way for the Milwaukee Bucks with side-by-side fantastic performances

Without Antetokounmpo available, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have both been tasked with leading the Bucks over the past several games. Both of them stepped up to the plate last night as they were phenomenal for Milwaukee in the win.

Middleton led the way with 26 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long distance. The forward was in attack mode all game with the ball in his hands, taking advantage of mismatches and pulling out a slew of eye-catching moves. His overall aggressiveness earned him eight shots at the free throw line, where he made all eight. Although he had some head-scratching passes that led to turnovers that accounted for several of his five turnovers, Middleton dished out seven assists when he was not looking to score the ball. He had been struggling to some degree on the offensive end lately, but hopefully this performance can help him find some momentum.

Speaking of momentum, Holiday has been on a tear recently, and he showed no signs of slowing down in last night’s matchup. Shooting 8-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from deep, it was Holiday’s night once again as he finished with 24 points. Holiday continued to attack the rim with authority as he has done recently, but when he is shooting 60 percent on 3-pointers, he becomes even more unstoppable than he already has been. Add in seven assists and three steals to his total and Holiday had yet another electric performance in 34 minutes for the Bucks.

These two will have to keep up this top-tier play, especially if the Bucks enter their next matchup on Christmas shorthanded once again.

That will be a 1:30 p.m. CST rematch against the Boston Celtics, and you can catch the action on ABC.