The spotlight was shining brightly on Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday on Wednesday night. This was the first time the two-time All-Star was going to face off against his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, after they decided to ship him off last summer as part of the Damian Lillard blockbuster deal.
Unfortunately, Holiday was not able to produce the vintage performance most folks were waiting for in what was billed as his revenge game against his former squad.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Speak Out on Jrue Holiday Reunion
Before the game started, Holiday dropped by the opposing team’s locker room to greet his ex-teammates. It was an endearing moment, no doubt, but as expected, the friendships were quickly set aside as soon as the game tipped off.
Holiday wasn’t terrible, but it would be safe to say that he failed to live up to the hype. The 33-year-old finished with just five points on 1-of-8 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block, one three-pointer, and two turnovers in 35 minutes of play.
After the game, it was Brook Lopez who got the honor of swapping jerseys with his former teammate and buddy. Following their on-court battle, which at one point saw Lopez level Holiday on a ball screen, the veteran center had nothing but nice things to say about Jrue:
“I was thrilled to see him,” said Lopez, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It’s always great to see Jrue-san. I definitely miss him. A great person, such a good friend of mine. Good to see his family as well postgame. I just wish him all the best. It was fun to compete against him tonight.”
As always, Holiday’s contributions for his team went far beyond the box score. He was a menace on the defensive end, where he willingly took on the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, to name a couple.
For Middleton, Holiday performed exactly as he had expected on the defensive end:
“I haven’t seen that in a long time, but you know, that’s what he does, he’s all over the place guarding different matchups, matchups you didn’t think he would guard or should guard,” Middleton said. “But that’s how talented that guy is.”
Most importantly, Holiday, who declined to speak to reporters after the game, helped the Celtics secure a 119-116 win over the Bucks. He may not have had his “revenge” on Milwaukee on a personal level but at the end of the day, the W is what matters the most.
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