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The Best of the Day: May 24th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from May 24, 2021 including the Bucks historic 1st half vs. MIA, the Joker's big game vs. POR, and more!
Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
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:
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
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021
Game 3 - Thursday, 7:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/HagN3jvOR2
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
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021
🦌 #NBAPlayoffs career-high
Bucks seek 3-0 lead Thursday on TNT pic.twitter.com/62oQXyps7V
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.
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021
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
Related: Stories 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
Facu went five hole
omg FACU NUTMEG pic.twitter.com/woVfGW0mf9
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 25, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
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
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 25, 2021
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
Related: Players 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)
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Related: Facts of the Day
Harrison Butker has been kicking butt at a historic rate to start his NFL career.
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DATE: May 24, 1928
SIGNIFICANCE: The most HOFers (13) took the field in 1 game ever during a battle between the Yankees and Athletics
FULL story on a historic MLB game almost a century ago: https://t.co/yvdiY7NYYk
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 24, 2021
Related: Significant Sports History
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