The Best of the Day: May 24th, 2021

The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 5/24 here.

The first round of the NBA playoffs continued Monday night, highlighted by the Milwaukee Bucks routing the Miami Heat thanks to a historic first half shooting performance from the Bucks. Giannis was his usual dominant self, but it was Bryn Forbes’ sensational shooting night that stole the headlines, as this Bucks squad appears to be much better built for the playoffs. Also, Nikola Jokic had a dominant outing in Denver’s win over Portland to even their series at 1-1 and the most HOFers ever took the field on this day in 1928.

Here is the best of the day from May 24, 2021:

Story of the Day

Milwaukee’s historic 1st half fueled a blowout Game 2 win over Miami

The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a historically hot start to defeat the Miami Heat in blowout fashion 132-98 in Game 2 Monday night. Milwaukee shot a scorching 15-for-29 from 3, the most 3PM in one postseason half in franchise history and second most all-time, on their way to a 78-51 halftime lead.

The Bucks' 15 three-pointers are the 2nd-most in a 1st half of a playoff game in NBA history. They hold a 27-point halftime lead, which is tied for their 4th-largest in team playoff history pic.twitter.com/AdpWIynYDV
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2021

The Bucks would finish the contest with 22 makes on 53 attempts (41.5%), their most 3-pointers made and attempted ever in a single postseason game. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team in scoring with 31 points along with 13 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday dished out a playoff career-high 15 dimes to pair with 11 points.

The Bucks finished with 22 3-pointers, a new franchise playoff high & handed the Heat their 2nd worst playoff loss in franchise history (-34) pic.twitter.com/2SsvnjwXaU
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2021

😤 31 PTS, 13 REB for @Giannis_An34 to put the @Bucks up 2-0! #NBAPlayoffs

Game 3 - Thursday, 7:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/HagN3jvOR2
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 5th career playoff game with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes or less. The only other player with more than one such game all-time is LeBron James (2 games) h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/Ty6rQXLLh2
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2021

🦌 15 DIMES for @Jrue_Holiday11
🦌 #NBAPlayoffs career-high

Bucks seek 3-0 lead Thursday on TNT pic.twitter.com/62oQXyps7V
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021

However, the story of the game was Bryn Forbes, who drained 6-of-9 3’s off the bench en route to a postseason career-high 22 points. If Milwaukee can continue to get secondary support from its role players, this will be the most dangerous Bucks team of the Giannis era, as the team will look to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in Game 3.

🥵 @BrynjForbes.. SCORCHING in Game 2.

22 points
6-9 from deep@Bucks seek 3-0 series lead Thursday at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. #PhantomCam #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VFRQMDw9B2
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021

Related: Stories of the Day

Takeaway of the Day

THIS BUCKS TEAM IS BUILT MUCH BETTER FOR THE PLAYOFFS THAN BEFORE

The Milwaukee Bucks took Game 2 at home, extending their series lead to 2-0. The team came out of the gates firing, and found themselves up 46-20 after just the first quarter. It was never in doubt who was going to win this game, as Milwaukee’s elite shooting led them to a blowout victory. The third seed in the East shot a remarkable 41.5% from deep, draining 22 threes. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 31 points, and Bryn Forbes added 22 off the bench in just 20 minutes, knocking down six from beyond the arc.

Although Milwaukee had their lowest win percentage since their 2017-18 season, they appear better than ever after their Game 2 performance in the 1st round of the postseason. The squad has seen roster changes this season that have significantly helped them look more like a championship-caliber club. For starters, they brought in Jrue Holiday, who is a proven two-way player in this league. He’s been huge for them on both ends of the court, as well as a great leader for the locker room.

The former Pelican had a double-double in Game 2 and is proving to be a key addition to their core along with Khris Middleton and Giannis. They also brought in Bryn Forbes, who came from San Antonio and has experience playing under Gregg Popovich, bringing a championship tutelage to Milwaukee. Acquiring P.J. Tucker also brought in a veteran player and leader that has plenty of playoff experience, adding another competitor to a Bucks roster that is built different than before. These personnel changes are starting to pay off against the last team to eliminate them a year ago.

COLORS KEY | FULL BUCKS OUTLOOK

Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day

Highlight of the Day

Facu went five hole

omg FACU NUTMEG pic.twitter.com/woVfGW0mf9
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 25, 2021

Related: NBA Highlights

Player of the Day

C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W v.POR): 38 PTS (15-20 FG | 2-4 3P), 5 AST, 8 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 4 TO

#PlayerOfTheDay (5/24/21) - C Nikola Jokic, DEN

TOP FACTS:
- Overcame Dame's 32-point 1st half to tie series 1-1
- Drew fouls on Nurkic & got him fouled out w/ 10 min left
- 2x as many PTS as any Nuggets teammate (38-18)

KEY STATS:
38 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 15-20 FG (75%), 2-4 3P https://t.co/BlK6TtatvB
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 25, 2021

Related: Players of the Day

Game of the Day

Portland Trail Blazers (109) vs. Denver Nuggets (128)

[Highlights] #3 @NUGGETS (-120; $10.80) d. #6 BLAZERS (-100; $11.20) 128-109 [DEN -1.5 | o227] (TIED 1-1)

Related: Games of the Day

Fact of the Day

Giannis and the Bucks were lighting it up for a historic Game 2 win

Most 3PM (15) during 1 playoff half in franchise history, and the 2nd most during 1 half in NBA playoff history
Most 3PM (22) during 1 playoff GP in franchise history
T-largest 1st Qtr lead (26 PTS) in NBA postseason history
Giannis has the most playoff GP (5) with 35+ PTS/10+ REB/5+ AST/Under 35 MIN in NBA history

Related: Facts of the Day