Bucks’ Jrue Holiday Credits Sixers’ Unsung Heroes for Loss

Jrue Holiday acknowledged the Sixers' bench unit for being key in snapping Milwaukee's big win streak.

The Milwaukee Bucks were riding high on a 16-point win streak going into Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As the third quarter progressed, it seemed Jrue Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks were on a fast track to 17-straight.

With a 40-point third quarter after leading by six points at halftime, the Bucks were out in front 99-85 going into the fourth quarter. They were hitting on 55 percent of their shots from the field and making half of their threes as Philadelphia’s perimeter defense struggled.

Eventually, the Bucks’ defense would find itself struggling. As a result, the Sixers would climb back and change the game. After the matchup, Jrue Holiday was asked what Milwaukee could’ve done differently in order to find different results.

“Stop them from scoring,” he deadpanned.

The Bucks couldn’t stop the bleeding on the scoreboard Saturday night. After being up by 18 points in the second half, Philadelphia scored nearly 50 points in the fourth quarter alone. While it was James Harden that led the charge by scoring 19 points in 12 minutes of action, Holiday doesn’t think it was Harden, or any of the other Sixers’ stars were the backbone of the comeback.

Instead, Holiday credited members of Philadelphia’s second unit.

“I think it was their bench,” said Holiday. “The bench played well, maybe at the beginning of the fourth. I think we were up at some point 20; then it got down to like 15. And we were going back and forth. The bench in that fourth quarter did a good job of just bringing energy, getting into the paint, knocking down threes, just doing everything that a bench is supposed to do.”

The Sixers had some unsung heroes of the night on Saturday. The usual bench standouts De’Anthony Melton and Shake Milton, had quiet nights. But the trio of Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels, and Paul Reed all had a hand in the comeback win.

Reed finished the game with four rebounds, one block, one assist, and four points. He was a plus-eight on the floor in nine minutes. McDaniels saw an increase in playing time in the absence of two starters and made the most of each of his 20 minutes on the floor.

The young veteran finished the game with eight points and two rebounds. He was a plus-eight for the night. Lastly, Georges Niang jumped out of his recent shooting slump and shot efficiently from the field in 28 minutes of action. Putting up seven shots, with six of them coming from beyond the arc, Niang went 5-6 from deep. He wrapped up the game with 16 points, leading the bench.

“From there, I think the momentum kind of shifted their way,” Holiday finished. “We kind of neutralized it there for a little bit, but I think toward the end of the stretch they just made more plays.”

The bench cut into Milwaukee’s lead and helped shift the momentum of the matchup. Then, the Sixers’ stars closed it out. En route to a 48-point fourth quarter, James Harden and Joel Embiid combined for 26 points and five assists. Both of them made big shots to help seal the deal and issue the Bucks their first loss in over a month. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.