On Monday night, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal join an exclusive list of players after his 55 point performance in the loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Beal, the eight-year veteran finished Monday’s game shooting 58% from the field and 62% from behind the arc off of 13 shots. This was the night right after Beal scores 53 points and shot 56% from the field in the loss against the Chicago Bulls. This puts Beal as the first player since NBA Legend, the late Kobe Bryant in 2007.
“I was just locked in, and I just was having fun,” Beal said. “Probably the most fun game I’ve ever played in.”
Bryant’s memorial service was also on Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bryant in his historical performance score 60 points against the Memphis and 50 against New Orleans in March of 2007. The Wizards’ guard is the sixth player to accomplish this in history.
While Bryant won those two consecutive games, Beal lost both of his. The eighth-year guard joined Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden and Devin Booker as the only players in NBA history to score 50 in consecutive games and lose twice. Beal is the first to do so on back-to-back nights. Wizards’ guard is also the first player to obtain back-to-back 50 point games in franchise history. The last player that was close was NBA Legend Micheal Jordan, with back-to-back 45 point games. Beal also ties former Wizard’s guard Gilbert Arenas for most 50 point games in franchise history with three. With Beal’s game against the Bucks including eight threes, this is the 14th time that this has happened in the NBA. Beal joins players such as Bryant, Lebron James, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson to do this.
Beal’s point per game also increased a full point just from these two games, from 29.1 to 30.1. He leads the Eastern Conference in points per game and is second in the league to Harden in the NBA this season. Beal was not an All-Star this season.
