After securing two wins on the road over the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks will return to Fiserv Forum with a 3-1 series lead and a chance to close out their first round matchup tonight.
While the Bucks have largely handled their business aside from a Game 2 blunder, this series has been a hard-fought battle. With their season currently hanging in the balance, the Bulls will not go down without a fight in this one, and it will be compelling to see how Game 5 unfolds. With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three players that could dictate how this game plays out.
Jrue Holiday will be a player of interest in Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game 5
After a hit or miss stretch throughout the first three games in this series, Jrue Holiday found his footing in Sunday’s big Game 4 victory. The guard scored 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting, which included an impressive 5-of-8 from distance, in addition to dishing out seven assists and playing reputable defense. For the Bucks to close out this game, they could use another performance like this from Holiday, and it will be fascinating to see how he follows up his strong Game 4 showing.
The biggest question mark for Holiday revolves around his offense, mainly his 3-point shooting. He was largely cold throughout the first three outings as he buried just four triples in that span, but he topped that in Game 4 alone with five triples in eight attempts. Given how strongly he is capable of attacking the rim, this outside shot unlocks some versatility to Holiday’s game on the offensive end, and it would be welcoming to see him sustain a rhythm from out there. Similar to Game 4, Holiday should look to come out aggressive on the offensive end to try and get going.
While his contributions offensively will be crucial in closing this series out, his defensive effort will be as well. Holiday has been sensational defensively in this series as he is holding opponents to a subpar 17-of-57 shooting (29.8 percent) in these playoffs, per NBA.com/stats. Among players to defend at least 30 field goal attempts thus far, Holiday’s defensive field goal percentage ranks as the best mark in the entire league. He has played a significant part in Milwaukee’s strong effort on the defensive end in this first round series, and they could use more of it in Game 5.
Holiday’s two-way play could be a key factor in Milwaukee’s quest to end this series on their own floor tonight, making him a prominent player of interest.