JRUE HOLIDAY

Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Milwaukee Bucks want to build off the momentum from a thrilling comeback.

Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points each and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-86 to even their second-round playoff at one game apiece.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second career postseason triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 101-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered from a bumpy beginning and rediscovered their championship form in plenty of time to dispose of the Chicago Bulls in their opening-round series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds and the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks routed the Chicago Bulls 116-100 on Wednesday night to finish off the first-round series in five games.

Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

Grayson Allen made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Chicago Bulls 111-81 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series without the injured Khris Middleton.

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points for his career playoff high and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday to tie their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledges there is pressure in the NBA playoffs and after the winning the first title, “your mind wants to win a second time or a third time."

Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the No. 8 play-in spot — and a matchup against Brooklyn — with a 133-115 win over Milwaukee.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Luka Doncic scored 32 points and matched a season high with 15 assists to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-112.

Giannis Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become Milwaukee’s career scoring leader on a 3-pointer that forced overtime, and then made two free throws in the final seconds to give the Bucks a 120-119 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says the absence of Brook Lopez for much of the season has caused the Milwaukee Bucks to appreciate the 7-foot veteran on a whole new level.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 126-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Jrue Holiday had 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday.

Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday made sure the Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble and got through arguably the toughest three-game stretch of their schedule unscathed. Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Holiday had 24 and the Bucks rallied to beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 132-122 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory. Holiday scored 17 points and Middleton had 16 in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks outscore the Suns 12-1 over the last three minutes.

Jrue Holiday banked in a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Miami Heat 120-119.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break knowing they've got work ahead just to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Joel Embiid had 42 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and the Philadelphia 76ers regrouped after squandering a 15-point lead to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 on Thursday night.

Deandre Ayton scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns beat Milwaukee 131-107 in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals won by the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, Jrue Holiday added 27 and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away in the second half to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 137-113.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said fellow Olympic teammate Jrue Holiday helped convince him to have surgery on his abdomen.

Trae Young scored 30 points and the struggling Atlanta Hawks rallied for a 121-114 victory over thee Milwaukee Bucks to snap a 10-game home losing streak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had his third triple-double of the season to help Milwaukee rout the Golden State Warriors 118-99 on Thursday night in Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer’s return from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points in his return from a one-game absence, Khris Middleton added 15 of his 20 in the third quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks blew out the Brooklyn Nets 121-109.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo had a Christmas return on his mind as he made his comeback from an ankle injury that kept him from joining his teammates for much of their championship run last season.

Jayson Tatum scored 16 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-103.

Caleb Martin scored a career-high 28 points and the Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-104.

Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from a two-game absence and scored 27 points on his 27th birthday to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104.

The Detroit Pistons came within striking distance of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night but couldn’t quite get over the hump. On Wednesday, though, the Bucks (11-8) maintained control from start to finish, outscoring the Pistons in all four quarters. The Bucks got into a groove early by getting out a 14-0 run before the Pistons even got on the board. With Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way with 33 points, the Bucks did not let the Pistons get into a rhythm long enough to take the lead. With Saben Lee, Frank Jackson, Hamidou Diallo and Trey Lyles in along with Jerami Grant, the Pistons systematically carved into the Bucks’ 15-point lead.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee’s franchise record for career 3-pointers in the Bucks’ 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Dennis Schröder scored eight of his season-high 38 points in overtime and the Boston Celtics took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113.

Julius Randle had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the New York Knicks erased an early 21-point deficit and routed the Milwaukee Bucks 113-98.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense.

Tyler Herro scored 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench, Jimmy Butler added 21 and the Miami Heat opened their season with an easy 137-95 victory over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and the Milwaukee Bucks opened the defense of their first title in half a century by beating the Brooklyn Nets 127-104 on Tuesday.

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Nothing about the summer was easy for the U.S. men’s basketball team, and neither was the gold-medal game. The summer started with two exhibition losses, the Olympics started with a loss to France, and none of that seemed to matter much at the end. Jrue Holiday now is an Olympic gold medalist, just like his wife Lauren was twice with the U.S. women’s national soccer team. JaVale McGee now has Olympic gold, just like his mother Pamela won with the U.S. women in basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. “Definitely a great summer,” Holiday said.

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Nothing about the summer was easy for the U.S. men’s basketball team, and neither was the gold-medal game. The summer started with two exhibition losses, the Olympics started with a loss to France, and none of that seemed to matter much at the end. The mission was accomplished: Gold, again — the 16th time in 19 Olympic tries for the U.S.For some, it adds to family legacies. Jrue Holiday now is an Olympic gold medalist, just like his wife Lauren was twice with the U.S. women’s national soccer team. JaVale McGee now has Olympic gold, just like his mother Pamela won with the U.S. women in basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Nothing about the summer was easy for the U.S. men’s basketball team, and neither was the gold-medal game.

Led by Kevin Durant, Team USA will face France for the gold medal on Friday.

Durant had 23 points, nine rebounds, and two steals as the United States trailed by as many as 15 before coming back to win in Saitama, Japan.

Jrue Holiday has already had gold in his grasp.

Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton flew together to Tokyo, just three nights after they had played in the hard-fought NBA Finals.

A person familiar with the situation says the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade center Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for center Steven Adams, guard Eric Bledsoe and an exchange of first-round choices in this week’s draft.

PHOENIX — Jrue Holiday seized his chance to give the Milwaukee Bucks the lead in the NBA Finals. Holiday’s steal and alley-oop pass to Giannis Antetounmpo for a dunk sealed a wild Game 5 and gave the Bucks a 123-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Khris Middleton added 29 points and Holiday had 27 points and 13 assists. The Bucks shot their way out of an early 16-point hole but then won it by making a huge defensive play for the second straight game. Booker had 40 points for the Suns.

BSE Global, which operates the Brooklyn Nets, will leverage SeatGeek's technology for ticket sales starting in October.

Minutes into the second half they lost rookie guard Killian Hayes to a hip injury. Two days later, The Athletic reported that Hayes suffered a labral tear in his hip. Hayes’ pass was picked off by Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, who knocked the ball out of his hand. Following the game Pistons, head coach Dwane Casey told reporters that they would do an MRI on Hayes’ hip. Through seven games, Hayes has averaged 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 21 minutes.