Wizards lose to Bucks, Beal exits again originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 123-113 on Tuesday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down…
Streak ends
Though the sample size of Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford in the Wizards’ starting lineup remains relatively small, it’s not like they haven’t been tested as a duo. They saw Joel Embiid, one of the game’s best and most imposing big men, and emerged victorious.
On Tuesday, however, they experienced something entirely different, something there is really no preparing for, as Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a brief injury absence to score a career-high 55 points. He also had 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Anetokounmpo left the Wizards battered and bruised. He charged into the lane over and over, initiating hard collisions with Porzingis and Gafford. Porzingis was left with five fouls, while Gafford exited late in the fourth holding his elbow after two run-ins with Anteokounmpo under the rim.
The Wizards went toe-to-toe against one of the NBA’s best teams and fell short, as their season-high five-game win streak came to an end. Washington beat the Bucks on Sunday, but that was without Antetokounmpo and also Jrue Holiday, who was back for this one.
The Wizards will now head to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Friday night. They are 17-22 on the year, two games away from the midpoint of the season.
Beal was back
Like Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal also returned from injury, in his case a three-game absence due to left hamstring soreness. He made an instant impact but unfortunately re-aggravated the injury in this game. He checked out with 2:29 left in the first half and did not return.
Beal had eight points, four assists and two steals in 13 minutes, but the setback to his injury recovery is clearly of significant concern. Beal has had a difficult time this season staying on the court, having missed 15 of the Wizards’ 39 games. This comes after he missed 42 games last season. You can only imagine the level of frustration for him right now. That element was pretty obvious when they showed him on the broadcast after leaving the game.
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Game of runs
Though the Bucks still weren’t at full strength, as Khris Middleton remains out and he is one of their best players, this game gave the Wizards a taste of what it’s like to play on the road against a very good team. The Bucks made contender-like runs which, combined with the crowd being behind them, shifted momentum suddenly and significantly in this game.
For instance, the Wizards didn’t score in the final 3:55 of the first half as Milwaukee enjoyed a 15-0 run with relentless defense and Antetokounmpo forcing his way to the rim. The Wizards later closed the third quarter on a 17-10 run, only to see the Bucks methodically close things out in the fourth quarter.
Respect for Rui
Word must have gotten around about how well Rui Hachimura has played recently because the Bucks were clearly paying a good deal of attention to him on the defensive end. That was evidenced by the fact Antetokounmpo was assigned to guard Hachimura for extended stretches. The Bucks don’t hide Antetkounmpo, the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, on defense like some superstars. They deploy him.
Hachimura ended the game with 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting. He broke free a couple of times to make open threes, knocking down 3-for-3 from long range. All in all, it was below his recent standards but still a solid night, especially considering the defensive challenge he faced.
Gafford’s injury
Gafford had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. It was another game in which he was rewarded for rolling to the rim and running the floor, as his teammates found him for easy baskets. He just had a heck of a time on the other end of the floor dealing with Antetokounmpo.
Gafford is never scared to face a challenge at the rim. The idea of a ‘business decision’ is a foreign concept to him. So, he was there to meet Antetokounmpo many times, only to be trucked to the ground over and over. Late in the fourth, Gafford got a charge call on Antetokounmpo, only to have it overturned as he held his elbow wincing in pain on the bench. He went back in and got demolished trying to contest an Antetokounmpo poster dunk. The dunk rimmed out, but Gafford had to leave afterward. Certainly, the Wizards will hope it’s a minor injury.
