In their first game since the All-Star break, the Washington Wizards put up a valiant effort against the Milwaukee Bucks but ultimately lost by three points by the time the buzzer sounded. While this may seem like yet another loss that Washington has had to endure this season, there were positives that can be taken away from their performance, and something they can build on in the future

Wizards Breakdown

The best player for the Wizards in this game was their rookie, Alex Sarr. The lottery pick finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds on 8/19, shooting from the field and 4/10 shooting from behind the arc. While Sarr did a good job stretching the defense out with his shooting threat, he still needs to work on his ability to finish in the paint, as many of his misses came from that area due to him not being able to finish through contact. Another issue was his free-throw shooting.

Going 2/6 from the charity stripe in a game where your team lost by just three points is not ideal in the slightest. Sarr played well but he can’t leave free points on the table in such close games and needs to be a more reliable finisher in the interior.

Corey Kispert provided a serious spark from the bench, scoring 16 points and knocking down four threes in just seven attempts. Khris Middleton played fine in his Wizards debut, scoring 12 points on just 53% true shooting but providing a lot on the defensive end with his energy and hustle. The newly acquired Marcus Smart made an impact in the limited time he played, with five points and two steals in just 17 minutes of action.

Overall it was a cold night on offense for the team as a whole, with the team shooting just 40.2 percent from the field. But the Wizards were able to keep the game close thanks to a great first-half performance along with solid defense and forcing many turnovers that led to easy shots on the other end of the court.

Bucks Breakdown

Kyle Kuzma’s first time donning a Bucks uniform since getting traded from Washington went well in many ways. While he scored 18 points on just 47.8% true shooting, he showed the ability to create off the dribble and add a new dynamism to the Bucks offense, something that Middleton has struggled to do as much this season due to him being bogged down by injuries.

Giannis was a mixed bag in the 19 minutes that he was able to play. 18 points on 66 percent shooting from the field in such a short timeframe seemed to be a setup for a dominant performance from the superstar. But he also had seven turnovers, six in just the first quarter alone. When you combine that with him fouling out in just under 20 minutes, you have a performance that the future Hall of Famer is hoping he can improve upon in his next game.

Brook Lopez was the best player on the court in this game, scoring 18 points on 78.1% true shooting, along with nine rebounds and two blocks. Without his very efficient scoring and great paint defense, there is a good chance the Bucks would have lost this game.

Speaking of the paint, that made the biggest difference in tonight’s contest, the Bucks were able to get 50 of their points from there compared to the Wizards, who scored just 34 points from the restricted area. Milwaukee’s’ ability to generate more efficient offense allowed them to squeeze by Washington; their next game will be at home, where they host the Miami Heat on Sunday, February 22nd, while the Wizards travel to Orlando to play the Magic on the same day.

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