Jrue Holiday trade pays off big for Trail Blazers in comeback Game 2 win

The Portland Trail Blazers' playoff push started when they traded for two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday before the season. They took on the remaining $104.4M on his three-year contract, and Tuesday, Holiday was worth every penny in the team's comeback win.

Holiday scored seven points in the final eight minutes and made a series of big plays as the Blazers came back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter for a 106-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Jrue Holiday showed his big-game experience

Holiday won titles with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and with the Boston Celtics in 2024. The Celtics traded Holiday for Anfernee Simons in a move motivated by dumping Holiday's expensive contract, and by the Blazers' desire to add a veteran leader to help them get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

He provided a surprising amount of scoring, averaging 16.3 points while shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range and averaging 6.1 assists. But it's Holiday's overall qualities that made him such an appealing target. He's a great defender, a valuable veteran leader and a guy who simply has a knack for being in the right place in big moments.

During the Blazers' comeback, Holiday had a steal, a block, two assists a three-pointers and three rebounds, the biggest coming when he snuck inside for a rebound and a go-ahead layup when Robert Williams III shot an air ball on a three-pointer from the corner.