Jrue Holiday finds room for improvement even after 40-point night in Bucks' big victory

It’s postgame at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks have won, in overtime, against the Boston Celtics. It’s their 11th straight 'W'.

As players wrap up their work day, with family waiting outside on Valentine’s Day, there’s one stat that Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday searches for after this game, after any game, after every game.

“The only one I look at is turnovers,” Holiday said.

But wait.

Holiday was the champ of this 131-125 victory: 40 points, tying his career high; seven assists, five rebounds, three steals, including a game-changer in overtime. It was classic 2021 NBA Finals-esque, that Holiday steal. Oh and the three-pointers? He shot 8 of 12 from distance. And that 48-foot buzzer-beater to end the third quarter? He called it luck and just a shot for fun, but that’s selfless point guard talk. He lined that shot up beautifully.

It took a full effort from the Bucks to beat the undermanned Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA at 41-17, and the game called for this kind of special performance from Holiday – 12 of 21 shooting, perfect from the free throw line (6 of 6), lockdown defense late, even when he was tired. Some games are just like that.

Why is it in our nature, then, to sometimes note the slightest blemish?

"Again. The only stat that I'm looking at is turnovers. That's kind of how I determine if I had a good or a bad game," Holiday said.

“What did I have tonight, 5?”

Yes. Five.

“Yeah to me – that hurts my soul,” he said.

Still, here’s a look at Holiday’s best plays of the night.

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Jrue Holiday's energy, aggressiveness lead to big scoring night and timely steals

The three: After hitting the shot from beyond midcourt to end the third quarter, Holiday swished a pair of three-pointers at about the 4-minute mark in the fourth quarter, giving the Bucks a six-point lead. It’s just the second time in his career that he’s scored in the 40s.

“For me it doesn't matter if I score,” said Holiday. “I would like to make plays on defense most of the time when I am on the court. We have enough guys that can score. Giannis is going to take over. We have Khris (Middleton). Joe (Ingles). Grayson (Allen). Brook (Lopez) who has 15,000 points.”

The thievery: Not that steals are the end all, be all of defense, but Holiday had his first steal late in the fourth quarter and the other two in overtime. The last steal was all muscle and Holiday took the open road ahead of him and dunked on the run. He might have even been fouled too, and looked for the whistle, but none was called.

The energy: Did you know that it can be really draining to excel on both sides of the court? Most players can’t score lights out on one end and then play shut down defense on the other seamlessly. But Holiday managed it again.

"I do think sometimes it gets hard when you're going crazy on offense,” Holiday said. “Defense is also hard, especially for a guy like me who is, at some point, picking up full court. Maybe even guarding the best player down the stretch.

“But sometimes – I don't know if it's momentum or whatever it is inside of you – offense fuels you, too. So I think when you get hot you just got to keep shooting, see what happens.”

The aggressiveness: This isn’t entirely new for Holiday. This has been a focal point for him since he became a Milwaukee Buck. He had games of 12 points and 15 points this month in Bucks wins, but he’s capable of scoring more. The Bucks see that and want to remind him of that. Four of his career-best scoring games (35 points or more) have been in Milwaukee. Even with all the scoring talent around him.

“He's gotten to a good place with how aggressive we need him to be,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “That’s one of the silver linings of Khris Middleton not being able to play early, not being able to play as many minutes as what he'll get up to; Jrue has found a good place with his aggressiveness. And even with Khris playing, the last, whatever it's been, you know, 10 to 12 games, Jrue is still in a good aggressive mindset. And that's what we need from him.”

More:Everything to know about the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game this weekend

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jrue Holiday has half-court shot, 40 points but turnovers bother him