Holiday’s Clutch Defense in Final Seconds Seals Bucks’ Stunning Game 5 Comeback

For nearly the entire second half of Wednesday’s Game 5 between the Bucks and Celtics, Boston kept the defending champs at arm’s length. That is until Jrue Holiday took over on the defensive end.

Holiday blocked Marcus Smart’s potential go-ahead shot and stole the ball from him seconds later to seal a wild 110–107 win over the Celtics, guiding Milwaukee to an improbable victory and a 3–2 series lead. The defensive heroics came after an unlikely sequence gave the Bucks the lead in the final minute after they spent much of the night playing catch-up.

Boston held a 105–99 lead before Milwaukee scored six unanswered, tying the game with 42 seconds left on a three-pointer by Holiday. After Boston regained the lead on two free throws by Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo got fouled with 14 seconds left and went to the line with a chance to tie the game. He made the first and missed the second, but Bobby Portis secured the offensive rebound and made the putback to give Milwaukee the lead.

That’s when Holiday closed the game out on the defensive end. Smart drove to the hoop to try and hit the go-ahead shot, but was blocked from behind by the Bucks point guard, who then threw the ball off Smart to secure possession. After two free throws from Pat Connaughton gave Milwaukee a three-point lead, Smart brought the ball up looking to get off a potential game-tying shot, but Holiday picked his pocket and dribbled out the clock to secure the win.

Holiday finished the game with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 40 points on 16-for-17 shooting from the field. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Milwaukee.