Bucks Zone

Brook Lopez's career game helps the Milwaukee Bucks stave off the Washington Wizards

Lopez was red-hot for the second straight game.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

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Brook Lopez picked up from where he left off the last game and powered the Milwaukee Bucks to a 131-128 In-Season Tournament victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Coming off what was then a season-high 28-point output in their 116-119 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, Lopez scored a career-high tying 39 points on a remarkable 14-for-17 shooting night from the field.

Historic night

The 16-year veteran shot 4-for-7 from three-point range and added seven rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist to help the Bucks recover from the sorry loss in Boston.

The Bucks now hold a 3-0 record in the In-Season Tournament and also hiked their regular-season record to 11-5 after posting their sixth-straight win at the Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 31 points, marking the first time in Milwaukee’s history that it had three players scoring at least 30 points each.

Milwaukee blew out Washington in their first duel, 142-129, but this one was close as the two squads figured in 22 ties and 19 lead changes.

Tight contest

With the game tied at 116-all, Lopez sank a three-pointer before the Bucks staged a 6-2 run to build a crucial 125-118 lead with only 1:16 left.

Washington threatened at 126-129 and had the chance to force another deadlock, but Landry Shamet missed a three-pointer with 12.4 seconds left.

The Wizards got a huge break when Pat Connaughton missed two free throws, followed by a made layup by Kyle Kuzma that cut the Bucks’ lead to 128-129 with 4.2 seconds left.

Lillard converted two free throws, and Kuzma missed a desperation three-pointer from near mid-court as time ran out. Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 26 points, while Kuzma and Tyus Jones combined for 22 each.

The slumping Wizards fell to 2-13 with their eighth-straight defeat. They also fell to 0-4 in the In-Season Tournament and are no longer in the running for the title that comes with a $500,000 cash prize for winning players and coaches.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.