Bucks Zone

Jrue Holiday fires career-high 51 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers

Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up big numbers in leading the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers.

Matthew Dugandzic

Jrue Holiday fires career-high 51 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers
Jrue Holiday fires career-high 51 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers /
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Jrue Holiday returned from a one-game absence in style, firing a career-high 51 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Holiday missed Milwaukee's 126-117 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night due to personal matters. The 14-year veteran was quick to make up for lost time by going 20-for-30 from the field, including three three-point conversions.

"Obviously, I'm happy about it. It took me 14 years to get 50 points. It came in a game that we needed to win, so I couldn't be happier," said Holiday, who helped the Bucks stretch their NBA-best record to 55-21.

Giannis dominant as well

Giving the Pacers more trouble was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who completed his 35th career triple-double by tallying 38 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists.

The Greek Freak, who also missed the game versus Detroit due to a sore knee, already stuffed the stat sheet in the first half alone, where he piled up 20 points, ten boards, and nine assists.

"It's hard to come up with the superlatives to describe them. They were phenomenal. Giannis set the tone with his aggressive attacking. Then Jrue for the whole game to have 51, that's hard to do in an NBA game," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of his two All-Star players.

Milwaukee closed the first half with a slight 73-69 lead, but Holiday caught fire in the third quarter, where he unloaded 18 points to help the Bucks outscore the Pacers 46-38.

Central division champs again

Milwaukee took total control after starting the fourth quarter with a 119-107 lead and won its season series against Indiana, 3-1.

Brook Lopez added 21 points, while Bobby Portis Jr. chipped in 12 for the Bucks, who won despite not having Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder. With the win, the Bucks claimed their 5th consecutive Central division title.

Benedict Mathurin scored 29 points, Aaron Nesmith added 22, and former Buck Jordan Nwora had 18 for the Pacers, who dropped their fourth straight game to fall to 33-44.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.