3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ stellar Game 5 win vs. Boston Celtics

Jrue Holiday’s defensive prowess saved the day for the Milwaukee Bucks

In the last 42 seconds of Game 5, Jrue Holiday took control. Holiday proceeded to drain a game-tying 3-point bucket before an eventual game-winning block and game-winning steal on Marcus Smart to seal the jaw-dropping comeback victory for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Holiday has struggled to find his rhythm offensively against the Boston Celtics this series as he’s been inefficient with his shot for the most part, but his one-of-a-kind defensive abilities for a guard will always be underappreciated. Jrue should be in a tier of his own when it comes to the best defenders across guards in the league.

Smart won the Defensive Player of the Year Award this season with the Celtics. However, Jrue Holiday has proved all series long that he’s the better defender and one of the most talented defenders in the NBA. Those two plays down the stretch to win the game for the Bucks was just another reminder of his elite defensive skill set.

Along with his game-winning defensive moments that will be recalled upon in Milwaukee for a long, long time, Holiday tallied 24 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, shot 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and was a team-high plus-14 on the stat sheet. Aside from some poor shot selection and inefficient shooting in the interior, it was a stellar performance from Jrue Holiday that reminded the world of his “knocked away and stolen by Holiday” sequence during his Game 5 masterclass in last year’s NBA Finals.