Aaron, Jrue Holiday Knocked Out of Playoffs as Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks Lose Game 7s
And just like that, there is only one Bruin left in the playoffs.
But while losing alumni from the postseason may have been tough on the blue and gold's fanbase, it may have been tougher on the Holiday family.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday and Phoenix Suns guard Aaron Holiday both had Game 7s on the slate for Sunday, looking to make their respective conference's finals. Jrue's Bucks lost 109-81 to the Boston Celtics, though, and Aaron's Suns were on the losing end of a 123-90 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks later in the evening.
The pair of UCLA men's basketball alumni were two of the nine Bruins who made the postseason, and two of the four whose teams made it to the conference finals. Kyle Anderson's Memphis Grizzlies lost to Kevon Looney's Golden State Warriors in six games, meaning one UCLA product was always guaranteed to come out of that series.
The elder Holiday brother averaged 21.0 points, 6.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game across the seven-game series versus the Celtics, but failed to rise up to his normal levels of efficiency. Jrue shot 36.4% from the field and 30% from deep in the series after shooting 50.1% and 41.1% in the regular season, scoring just 147 points on 154 attempts.
Holiday had a game-winning block and steal in Game 5, a fitting performance for the three-time All-Defensive Team member.
In the deciding Game 7, Holiday put up 21 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, but missed all six of his 3-pointers as part of the Bucks' 4-of-33 effort from deep as a team. The Celtics, meanwhile, shot 22-of-55 from long range en route to their series-clinching win.
Jrue Holiday was a minus-19 Sunday, and he ultimately won't be able to help Milwaukee repeat as NBA Champions.
Aaron Holiday's Suns lost by even more than his brother's team did, going down by 30 points at the half before dropping the game by 33 to the Mavericks. The final deficit would have been even greater if not for the youngest Holiday brother's efforts in garbage time.
In five minutes of action – his most in any game in the series – Holiday was a +11 with six points, two steals, an assist and no turnovers.
Holiday's late-game push stirred up some controversy after contest was over, as 7-foot-4 Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic went at the 25-year old guard in a postgame scrum for picking his pocket and hitting a 3-pointer before the final buzzer sounded. The two were eventually separated by teammates.
Neither Holiday brother made it to an NCAA Tournament Regional Final in college, with Jrue's Bruins losing in the 2009 Round of 32 and Aaron's squad topping out in the 2017 Sweet 16. This was the first time Aaron had made it out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, whereas Jrue has a championship ring from just last summer.
Looney is now the lone Bruin left in the playoffs, and his Warriors will have to take on the same Mavericks team that picked up the blowout win over the Suns on Sunday. Neither Eastern Conference finalist – the Celtics or Miami Heat – have a UCLA alum on their roster.
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