3 takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ tough 108-102 loss to Miami Heat

Jrue Holiday continued to make his All-Star case with another strong showing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss to the Miami Heat

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton out, Jrue Holiday was the lone member of the Bucks’ Big 3 available against the Heat. While a several-game absence temporarily threw a huge wrench in it, Holiday has been building a legitimate All-Star case lately, and he continued to do so with a strong performance against the Heat.

Holiday led the Bucks with 24 points, having shot 7-for-10 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from deep. One might have wished that Holiday had been more aggressive, given that he was tied for the fifth-most shot attempts on the team but led them in points. Yet, Holiday was committed to getting his teammates involved, and it worked. He tallied 11 assists and notched yet another double-double in the process. With just three turnovers to go with those 11 assists, it was a solid showing all around for Jrue Holiday.

For the season, Holiday is now averaging 18.5 points and 7.2 assists per game, both of which are his highest in three years with the Bucks. The guard’s All-Star case continues to grow stronger as the days go by, and Thursday night’s outing should have raised his stock. At the end of the day, he and the Bucks want to win games, but it would be nice for Holiday to be rightfully recognized as an All-Star. Only time will tell if he can earn the honors for just the second time in his NBA career.

The Bucks will look to avenge this tough loss when they take on the Heat again on Saturday, and perhaps another big game from Holiday could help him build his All-Star case further.

Time will tell if the Bucks get a few of their typical rotational players back, but be sure to catch the early action at 12:00 p.m. CST on ABC.