The Milwaukee Bucks matched up in the early afternoon Monday against the Indiana Pacers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Bucks emerged victorious at a final score of 132-119, Milwaukee was down as many as 13 points in the first half, this game was not quite as big of a comeback as the Bucks’ win over the Knicks last Monday, but it was close. The Bucks mounted their comeback in the third quarter, cutting the Pacers’ lead to five before the final frame.
Let’s look at three takeaways from another comeback win for the Bucks.
Takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Pacers: Jrue Holiday should be an All-Star
Jrue Holiday has had himself quite a four-game stretch in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has missed three of the last four. Over the last four games, Holiday has scored 24.5 points per game on 35-of-64 shooting (54.7 percent) and 12-of-27 behind the 3-point line (44.4 percent). Over that same four-game stretch, he is also averaging 9.3 assists per game, having notched double-digit assists each of the last three games. Monday marked the third straight double-double for Jrue Holiday.
Jrue Holiday was a man on a mission against the Pacers, especially in the second half. He scored 21 of his season-high 35 points in the second half on 9-of-13 shooting including 3-of-5 behind the 3-point line. He also handed out six assists and collected a steal in the second half without turning the ball over a single time, something that has haunted his stat line at times this season. His double-double is an eye-catching stat, but the zero turnovers in the second half are extremely encouraging.
What makes Holiday an All-Star? The Eastern Conference admittedly has a lot of talented, name-recognition players like James Harden, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell, among others. However, with another update in Eastern Conference voting coming on Thursday, Jrue Holiday is arguably more deserving than DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan averages 7.3 more points per game, however, Jrue Holiday averages 2.5 more assists per game and bests DeRozan’s 3-point percentage by over 11 percent. After DeRozan are a couple of players who are on the ballot due to popularity more than performance, LaMelo Ball and Derrick Rose, both of whom Jrue Holiday deserves to be an All-Star over. Last on the Eastern Conference ballot is Darius Garland who has pretty similar numbers to Holiday but has been playing alongside Donovan Mitchell all season whereas Jrue Holiday is putting up big numbers with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton sidelined.
In his lone All-Star appearance, way back in 2013, Jrue averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game with the 76ers. This season Jrue is averaging 18.8 points, 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds, pretty similar numbers. Whether or not he ends up making the All-Star team, we are getting All-Star level performance and arguably Jrue Holiday’s best season in a Bucks uniform.
Takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Pacers: Role players rebounding
When I say role players rebounding, I mean it both literally and figuratively. In the absence, and hopefully very near return, of both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, some of the Milwaukee Bucks role players are hitting their strides and looking in mid-season form.
Starting with the literal, Pat Connaughton started this game against the Pacers and while he was the only starter not in double figures, his impact on this game should not be understated. Connaughton did score eight points but he also grabbed eight rebounds for the second game in a row. He has also made 40 percent of his 3-pointers over the last two games.
Grayson Allen, after going through a bit of a slump in late December and early January, played a fantastic game on Monday. Allen scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 3-of-7 behind the 3-point line. Allen hit not one, but two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to give the Milwaukee Bucks a one-point lead. Allen also grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists and collected two steals. His ability to drive to the basket and score or kick out to teammates is a very underrated aspect of his game. Late in this game, Allen drove and kicked out to George Hill who missed a 3-pointer, but Allen flew in and tipped the miss back to Hill who made a floater.
George Hill is another role player worth highlighting, Hill hadn’t played since January 6th against the Hornets and came in and gave the Bucks 22 minutes off the bench. Hill scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and added six assists and three steals without committing a single turnover. It is a luxury for the Bucks to have a guy like that at the end of the bench when you need him.
The same could be said for Jordan Nwora, who has seen much less playing time as of late but always stays ready to shoot, and that he did. Nwora made all four 3-pointers he attempted on his way to 14 points off the bench in addition to six rebounds and a pair of assists.
I also want to give a shoutout to A.J. Green. The Milwaukee Bucks’ two-way guard has carved out a nice little role for himself as a spark plug off the bench to give the Bucks some shooting. Green made two 3-point shots in this game and has now hit a three in six consecutive games. In that stretch of six games, Green is 15-for-34 (44.1 percent) behind the 3-point line.
Takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Pacers: Saving the best for last
The Milwaukee Bucks certainly made this game interesting and definitely saved their best for last. The Milwaukee Bucks played a nearly flawless fourth quarter. The Bucks scored 39 points in the final frame and held the Pacers to 21, their lowest quarter of the game, which was just lower than the 22 they allowed to Indiana in the 3rd quarter. That 39-21 fourth quarter turned a five-point deficit into a 13-point Milwaukee Bucks victory.
The Milwaukee Bucks made 14-of-18 shots in the fourth quarter, a blistering 77.8 percent from the field. Of those 14 makes, the Bucks assisted on nine of them, so ball movement was certainly a catalyst of this comeback win. To paint the assists in an even better light, the Milwaukee Bucks committed just one turnover in the fourth quarter, only one, which was a fantastic sight to see.
The Bucks were 6-of-10 behind the arc as well; Jordan Nwora and Grayson Allen made two each in the fourth quarter.
Jrue Holiday was an absolute master for the Bucks in the fourth quarter also. Acting as the Bucks closer, playing nine of the final 12 minutes, Jrue made 5-of-6 shots, scoring 11 of his 35 points in the final quarter. The only shot he missed was a deep 3-point shot he hoisted up in the final minute to avoid a shot clock violation.
Bonus stat: The Milwaukee Bucks did not allow the Pacers any second-chance points in this game. Stay tuned for takeaways from Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors.