Jrue Holiday of the Celtics acknowledged the video tribute during the blowout against the Bucks

Jrue Holiday of the Celtics acknowledged the video tribute during the blowout against the Bucks.

The Boston Celtics, led by Jrue Holiday, suffered their biggest defeat of the year on Thursday night, falling to their rivals in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, 135-103. The game marked the return of Holiday to Milwaukee, the franchise that traded him to the Celtics this summer following his three seasons playing in a Bucks jersey.

The Bucks played a touching remembrance video for Holiday during Thursday’s game. Holiday helped lead the franchise to an NBA championship in 2021. Following the competition, Holiday gave a speech on the video and why, despite Milwaukee’s thoughtful gesture, he was only partially paying attention.

“Only somewhat. When asked if he had seen the tribute film, Holiday said, “A little bit of it,” according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston on X, the previous Twitter site. “I was kind of locked into the game, trying to figure out why we were getting our asses kicked.”

In fact, the Celtics trailed the eight ball early in this game, displaying every ounce of the natural exhaustion they were feeling following their victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime on Wednesday. Due to the Boston Celtics’ shocking 37-point deficit at the half on Thursday, head coach Joe Mazzulla decided to sit all of his starters, including Jrue Holiday, for the second half of the game.

On January 13, the Boston Celtics will meet the Houston Rockets in the TD Garden in an attempt to get back on track. The start of that game is scheduled at 7:00 PM ET.