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Holiday fires Bucks closer to title
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Jrue Holiday made a spectacular steal with the game up for grabs on Saturday to lift the Milwaukee Bucks over Phoenix and within one game of their first NBA title since 1971.
The 31-year-old guard, coming off a woeful 4-of-20 shooting effort in Game 4, hit 12-of-20 in a 123-119 victory to give Milwaukee a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, which continue tomorrow in Milwaukee.
Holiday, an All-NBA Defensive First Team selection for the second time in four seasons, had game highs of 13 assists and three steals and it was the last of each that delighted the Bucks and devastated the Suns.
鈥淭he great thing about Jrue is he can affect the game in so many ways,鈥 Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said. 鈥淚t says a lot.鈥
Phoenix鈥檚 Devin Booker was looking for a go-ahead basket but Holiday stripped the ball from him, then seconds later lofted a high pass to Greek forward Antekounmpo, whose slam dunk was a backbreaker.
鈥淎 great play by Jrue. I don鈥檛 have any other words for that one,鈥 Suns coach Monty Williams said. 鈥淚 just watched it and he just makes a great play.鈥
It鈥檚 the sort of thing Milwaukee鈥檚 Pat Connaughton has seen from Holiday all year.
鈥淗e鈥檚 physical, he鈥檚 quick, he鈥檚 strong. He鈥檚 got a lot of things to him. And he鈥檚 got quick hands,鈥 he said. 鈥淔irst Team All Defensive play. It was a defensive play of the year. It just kind of shows we鈥檙e built on defense.鈥
Holiday dropped off his man to double team Booker, who scored 40 points, when he went into the paint with the ball.
鈥淚 was just trying to score,鈥 Booker said. 鈥淗e was behind me. I turned and he was right there.鈥
鈥淗e turned right into me. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,鈥 Holiday said. 鈥淚 thought he was going to shoot it and I was going to be behind him and try to contest or maybe bother him. Once he pump-faked, I felt like I should stay down and he literally turned into me.鈥
Once Holiday dribbled away, there was Antetokounmpo waiting for a high pass rather than having Holiday run down the clock. 鈥淕iannis took off and he was calling for the ball,鈥 Holiday said. 鈥淪o at that point, I just threw it as high as I could and only where Giannis could go get it. He went up there got it. They don鈥檛 call him the Freak for nothing. I threw it as high as I could.鈥
Khris Middleton saw Holiday rip the ball from Booker鈥檚 grasp and knew what was coming next. 鈥淥nce it鈥檚 a loose ball, Jrue has got great instincts and great hands,鈥 Middleton said. 鈥淲hen he鈥檚 aggressive, he鈥檚 one of the tougher point guards to handle 鈥 his size, his athleticism, his skill set. He can do so many things on the court when he鈥檚 aggressive.鈥
And he did sparkle with his shotmaking as well after a bad night.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just confidence really, just go out there and shoot,鈥 he said. 鈥淭eammates keep telling me to shoot. That鈥檚 what I did.鈥
As Connaughton out it, 鈥淗e鈥檚 a winner. He makes winning plays, they鈥檙e defense, they鈥檙e offense, they鈥檙e all over the court.鈥
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer was happy to see Antetokounmpo and Holiday use their instincts to deliver a knockout punch. 鈥淭he steal late, it was just an instinctive play. He鈥檚 an incredible defender, strong hands and got in there and took it,鈥 said Budenholzer.
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