MILWAUKEE — With lower than 30 seconds to play on Thursday evening, the Milwaukee Bucks have been clinging to a four-point lead over the Brooklyn Nets‘ reserves, who had made a livid comeback to get again into the sport. The nervous power flowing by Fiserv Discussion board rose as David Duke Jr. sped towards the basket to try to make it a two-point recreation.
In opposition to every other workforce, in opposition to every other opponent, he seemingly would have executed so. However not in opposition to Brook Lopez.
The Bucks’ Defensive Participant of the Yr candidate shifted over on the final second, stretched out his proper arm and swiped Duke’s try off the glass. A number of seconds later, Jevon Carter scored on the opposite finish to successfully seal the sport, and the Bucks survived with a 118-113 victory.
“Phenomenal,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer stated. “It was a detailed recreation and he made the performs that made the distinction down the stretch.”
Lopez, who was manning the paint by himself as a result of absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, completed with 24 factors, 10 rebounds and a career-high 9 blocks. His 9 rejections are probably the most in a single recreation by any participant since Rudy Gobert reached that mark on March 22, 2021.
About the one factor Lopez did not accomplish in opposition to the Nets was registering the seventh triple-double with blocks within the league up to now decade. He did, nevertheless, say that he had such a recreation in school whereas enjoying for Stanford, although Joe Ingles was fast to level out that “would not rely.”
“I am simply making an attempt to say all-time, I wasn’t gonna go to elementary faculty or one thing,” Lopez stated. “I performed within the PAC-10. I wasn’t in some tiny convention. Gosh, Joe stated he was gonna watch for the interview, too. He stated he needed to be right here for this. Gosh.”
The Bucks have been in a joking temper within the locker room thanks largely to Lopez’s newest defensive masterclass that solely furthered his shock Defensive Participant of the Yr case. Per Caesars Sportsbook, Lopez is now +100 to win the award, simply behind Memphis Grizzlies huge man Jaren Jackson Jr., at -150.
Milwaukee has the third-best protection within the league at 109.6 factors allowed per 100 possessions. With Lopez on the ground their defensive score drops to 106.9. The massive man is third within the league in blocks at 2.5 per recreation, and opponents shoot simply 51.6 p.c on the rim when he makes a contest.
At a sure level, you marvel why groups even proceed to enter the paint when Lopez is round.
“I suppose I am not gonna query it, proper?” Lopez stated. “No matter occurs, if somebody’s gonna come on the rim I am gonna attempt to be there to cease them from placing the ball within the basket. That is a fairly easy reply, I suppose. That is precisely what I attempt to do on the market, however that is one of the best ways I can describe it.”