JRUE HOLIDAY

Damian Lillard understands he has a reputation for being an elite offensive player but not a particularly strong defender.

Jrue Holiday has been traded to the Boston Celtics.

Damian Lillard was traded by Portland to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee on Wednedday.

Jimmy Butler scored 42 points and the Miami Heat staged a second straight stunning fourth-quarter rally before winning 128-126 in overtime at Milwaukee in Game 5 to cap an upset of the top-seeded Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 24 and the hot-shooting Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence while trouncing the Miami Heat 138-122, tying their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

The road to the NBA Finals now goes through Milwaukee.

Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points with 22 of those in the fourth quarter and overtime, shining in his first home game back from a long injury absence and leading the Golden State Warriors past the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 125-116.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points, had a season-high 13 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season as the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the Washington Wizards 117-111.

Joel Embiid made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 41.4 seconds left as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Milwaukee 133-130.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 15 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 15 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-104.

Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup and a steal in the final 25 seconds as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 for their 14th consecutive victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left late in the first quarter with a right knee issue to spoil his rapid return from a sprained wrist, but the Milwaukee Bucks still trounced the Miami Heat 128-99 on Friday for their 13th consecutive victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100.

Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 40 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 131-125 on Tuesday for their 11th consecutive victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 54 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Portland’s Damian Lillard had to have known they were going to the All-Star Game.

Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 41 points in the third quarter to help the Celtics beat the Bucks 139-118 in a matchup of the top two teams in the NBA.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 44 points, LeBron James overtook Magic Johnson on the NBA’s career assists list and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 in a thriller.

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.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points, rookie A.J. Griffin came off the bench in Trae Young’s absence to add a career-high 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening, nine-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their season-opening winning streak to a franchise record nine games with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-102 to improve to 8-0, the best start to a season in franchise history.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 12 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks matched a franchise record with their seventh straight win to open the season, beating the Detroit Pistons 116-91.

Jrue Holiday sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds left and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Detroit Pistons 110-108 on Monday night to stay unbeaten.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks remained unbeaten with a 119-108 victory over the New York Knicks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points, 14 rebounds and five assists as the Milwaukee Bucks went on a lopsided run after Brooklyn coach Steve Nash was ejected in the third quarter and beat the Nets 110-99.

Wesley Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 90-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points in his Atlanta debut and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-113 on in the NBA’s first game in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.

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 and the Golden State Warriors seek to put an embarrassing loss behind them as both teams attempt to clinch their second-round series Friday.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The U.S. had five attempts on the pivotal possession of its latest basketball failure and came up empty on all of them.

Two of America's biggest stars begin their Tokyo Games on Sunday.

The U.S. men’s basketball team is finally together.

When the Dream Team era started in 1992, most of the NBA players in the Olympics represented the United States.

Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Bucks are on the verge of making history as Milwaukee's first NBA champion since 1971.

The Phoenix Suns say they aren’t feeling sorry for themselves after squandering a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals and moving within one game of elimination.

The Phoenix Suns like to believe they're a resilient bunch.

Giannis Antetokounmpo believes it’s the tenacity of the Bucks that has Milwaukee a game away from its first championship in a half century.

The happiest basketball coach in the world right now should be Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer.

When Devin Booker took his usual seat on the bench at the beginning of the second quarter, the Phoenix Suns lost their stranglehold on Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Jrue Holiday’s steal and alley-oop pass to Giannis Antetounmpo for a dunk sealed a wild Game 5 and gave the Milwaukee Bucks a 123-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Phoenix Suns had designs on coming home with a chance to win their first championship.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has delivered MVP-caliber performances, scoring 40 points or more in the NBA Finals while playing with an injured left knee.

Khris Middleton scored 40 points, including 10 straight for the Milwaukee Bucks down the stretch to send them past the Phoenix Suns, 109-103 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

A person with knowledge of the situation says U.S. Olympic guard Bradley Beal has entered the health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus, which raises the possibility that he might miss the Tokyo Games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo pointed to a pair of scratches, one on his forehead and the other on his cheek.

Giannis Antetokounmpo shook his head, unwilling to place himself in the class of the only player with a longer streak of 40-point games in an NBA Finals.

Deandre Ayton got off to a quick start then couldn't do anything but watch as the Phoenix Suns were unable to take a stranglehold on the NBA Finals.

For the second time this postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have staggered home with a 2-0 deficit and a couple key players who can’t shoot straight.

Much has changed in Milwaukee since the Bucks won their lone NBA title a half-century ago.