#jrue-holiday

#jrue-holiday

By record, the New York Knicks owned the Miami Heat this season, winning three of the four games.It only takes a little bit of drilling down, however, to realize this matchup is much closer.The final point differential for the regular-season series?Knicks by a measly six points.Two of the four games came down to a game-winning (Julius Randle's improbable 3-pointer in Miami) or potential game-winning basket (Tyler Herro's missed 3-pointer at Madison Square Garden).

The Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime to eliminate the No. 1 seed in the East and advance to the second round.Here are 15 thoughts from a stunning Heat win:
1. Amazing.
2. The Heat came back from 16 points down in the fourth quarter and Jimmy Butler uncorked another classic performance to beat the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in overtime, 128-126.

8:00 AM ET



Zach LoweESPN Senior Writer



In this week's 10 things, we highlight trends at the top of the East, two MVP favorites, a true-blue superstar in Oklahoma City, a rising top pick and much more.The Indiana Pacers somehow blew out Milwaukee Thursday, but the most important general trend lines are pointing up.

In a schedule loss to end all schedule losses, the Lakers - depleted by both LeBron James' injury absence and an extremely active NBA trade deadline - fell to Milwaukee on Thursday night, 115-106.L.A.did their best to keep up with Milwaukee, but in the second half, the Bucks' talent was too much to handle, as Giannis Antetokounpo went off with 38 points on the night and Jrue Holiday picked up steam in the second half to give Milwaukee their ninth win in a row and drop the Lakers to 25-31.

While he may be having the best season of his career, Kristaps Porzingis has been going unappreciated by the larger NBA community this season.This is proven by the fact that he was not named an All-Star.He missed the All-Star game despite averaging monster numbers across the board.He is posting the ridiculous stat line of 23.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game.

It would be hard for these teams to repeat the roller coaster game we witnessed on January 4th.In their first meeting this season, the Raptors missed their first 15 shots.Both teams combined for 25 points in the first quarter, only for Toronto to make an incredible 28-7 run in the final 3:08 of regulation down 90-69 to send the game to overtime.

For the second time this season, the Raptors will be nationally televised (in the US; they're always nationally televised here).For the second time, it will be against the Bucks.For the second time, Americans will be baffled by this Raptors roster.Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serge Ibaka, and Khris Middleton are all out tonight, but that probably won't stop Nick Nurse from throwing out funky schemes at Milwaukee.

Gary Trent Jr. and the Toronto Raptors would have surprised absolutely no one if they came out and laid an egg against the Milwaukee Bucks.Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton not suiting up, Toronto was at a disadvantage after playing the Knicks in an exhausting overtime win on Monday.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry brought the ball over midcourt with Jevon Carter of the Milwaukee Bucks right in his face.Curry accelerated, and then quickly stopped at the top of the 3-point arc, making Carter skid a few feet away.Curry had just enough space to launch a three.

The Miami Heat are coming off two pretty good wins for them.Always looking to stack up victories, they just beat the Milwaukee Bucks in consecutive matchups Thursday and Saturday.And yes, though the Bucks didn't have Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton going for them, you take the wins you can get them.

A Jalen Brunson masterpiece was overshadowed by another late meltdown by the Knicks as the Milwaukee Bucks came from 17 points down to defeat New York 111-107 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.Brunson led the way for the Knicks with 44 points, seven rebounds and four assists in one of his best performances at any level of his basketball career.

The Wizards' Kristaps Porzingis blocks a shot by the Bucks' Jevon Carter in the first half Sunday in Milwaukee.(Aaron Gash/AP) MILWAUKEE - With his surging team moving closer to a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, Washington Wizards Coach Wes Unseld Jr. spoke over the past few days of the need to play with urgency, to make up for lost ground quickly.

In their New Year's Day game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards popped off across the board.There wasn't a single aspect of the game that was not controlled by the Wizards throughout the entire 48 minutes of action.This win is their fifth straight victory and sixth win in their last seven games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, then Grayson Allen made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 30 seconds left after his superstar teammate fouled out to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-103 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.Allen made only one 3-pointer - a game after going 7 for 7 behind the arc in the first half of a victory over Dallas.

Are the Toronto Raptors to the Milwaukee Bucks what the Detroit Pistons are to the Raptors?For several seasons, Milwaukee has fielded a better team than Toronto.During the championship year, the Bucks won three of four in the regular season and finished atop the East.But they lost four of six when it mattered.

It's been a wild ride for Russell Westbrook through his two seasons in Los Angeles.Alternating between homecoming hero to villain to homecoming hero (kind of) once again, Westbrook has hardly had smooth sailing with the Lakers.His latest upswing could hardly have come at a better time.With the situation long, long past the breaking point and Westbrook's departure feeling inevitable, his change to a sixth man has perhaps saved him from being traded.

They handed him cigars, gave him giant hugs and greeted him with smiles.Good luck walking the back hallways of Fiserv Forum looking for someone to say something bad about Lakers coach Darvin Ham because here, where he won a championship as an assistant on coach Mike Budenholzer's staff, he's beloved.

The Knicks have now lost their last three home games by a combined 12 points.What can you even say at this point?Was Wednesday night's 109-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the worst of the bunch?Let me put it this way: I've had kidney stones three times in my life.I could rank them by the amount of pain I was in at the time, but why would I?
Let's just stick with the ending.