The Milwaukee Bucks moved to 3-0 in East Group B play for the In-Season Tournament on Friday night at Fiserv Forum with a narrow victory against the lowly Washington Wizards, 131–128.

In order to increase their chances of making it to the quarterfinals during the first week of December, the Bucks (11-5) needed to defeat the Wizards (2-13), who had already been eliminated from the running.

In pool play, Miami likewise started the evening unblemished and ahead of New York, but the Heat were defeated in the end by the Knicks thanks to a late comeback. With a win in Miami on Tuesday, the Bucks can advance to the quarterfinals despite that setback.

But even if the Bucks lose in tight fashion in Florida the following week, they will still be the group play winners since they already have the advantage in the tiebreaker with New York, having defeated the Knicks on November 3. After three group wins, the Bucks have a plus-39 point differential. The Heat are plus-11, while the Knicks are plus-18.

Wade Davis missed a free throw and tumbled while attempting to go open on an inbounds play, and the Bucks just managed to hang on. On a Washington inbound play, Landry Shamet was completely bewildered by the Bucks, which left him open for a corner three that he missed. With 12 seconds remaining, Pat Connaughton missed two game-winning free shots.

Even so, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each made two free throws in the frantic final seconds, but Kyle Kuzma’s 37-foot heave at the buzzer was enough for the Bucks to secure the victory as the back iron clanged off.

The Bucks had three 30-point scorers in a single game for the first time in franchise history when Brook Lopez scored 39 points, Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, and Lillard scored 31 points.  Kuzma (22 points), Jordan Poole (26), Tyus Jones (22) and Corey Kispert (20) led Washington.For the Bucks, Brook Lopez had his greatest offensive game to date.After the team abandoned the drop defense after the first four games of the season, Lopez has once again been a formidable force on defense; nevertheless, through his first nine games, the former all-star center had only five games in double figures. Lopez had seven straight games with 20 points or more, including his 39-point performance against Washington.

Lopez has scored 18.7 points per game on average over that time.

His 15.9 points per game from the previous season was his highest since 2016–17.

With 28 points in the second half of Wednesday night’s game against Boston, Lopez was a major factor in the team’s victory over the Wizards, where Antetokounmpo played despite being sick and Khris Middleton departed the game early in the third quarter due to injury.

Lopez hustled even harder on defense, diving to the court at one point to assist force a turnover that resulted in a basket in the fourth quarter. Lopez was aggressive on offense, putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim.

Antetokounmpo and Lillard were also searching for him. After receiving a shovel pass from Antetokounmpo on the baseline, Lopez scored a three-point play and then made a deep three-pointer off a dribble handoff from Lillard. In a Bucks uniform, he scored 39 points, matching his career-high total from April 6, 2011, when he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

Lopez made 14 of his 17 attempts, including 4 of his 7 from beyond the three-point arc, and swatted three shots.

Khris Middleton leaves the game due to tightness in his Achilles

The Bucks unexpectedly had to replace Khris Middleton with Andre Jackson Jr. with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, which caused a delay in play. The 32-year-old Middleton was instantly ruled out of the match due to discomfort in his left Achilles tendon.

He went to the dressing room and did not come back to the bench.

After having right knee surgery in the off-season, Middleton’s playing time has progressively increased over the past three games. He had averaged 13.8 points and 4.1 assists in just 20.8 minutes per game over an eight-game period from Nov. 3–20 before a difficult night in Boston on Wednesday (4–for–14).

Middleton, a free agent who re-signed with the Bucks this offseason, has missed the previous two seasons due to injuries to both knees and surgery on his left wrist.

Milwaukee is Jordan Poole’s finest professional matchup.

Milwaukee native Poole had his finest game of the year on Nov. 20 against the Bucks in Washington, scoring thirty points, but it seemed the 24-year-old would have another rough night in his hometown.

He only shot 2-for-10 from the field to start the game, including 1 for 5 from behind the three-point line, which resulted in eight points in the first half. Along with four assists, he only had two turnovers.

However, he found his rhythm in the third quarter, going 3-of-4 from the field for nine points along with three free throws. He scored a team-high 26 points at the game’s conclusion on 9 of 20 shots and 7 of his 9 free throws. But Poole was unable to rediscover his three-point rhythm, as he only made 1 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.

Before Friday, Poole has not had much luck on his returns to Milwaukee; in four games against Golden State and Washington at Fiserv Forum, he shot only 34.2% (12-for-35). He had also averaged 12.7 points per game while making only 30% of his three-pointers.

The Bucks’ records while trailing after one quarter and at halftime are 5 -6, 5-6 and 2-5. Despite 10 points from Lillard, they trailed the Wizards 35-34 after one quarter. In the first quarter, Washington shot 50% from the field overall and from three-point range. Additionally, they were behind 61-60 at the half against Washington, who had 10 points apiece from Tyus Jones and Kyle Kuzma, and 5 three-pointers from Corey Kispert off the bench.

The time for Khris Middleton is 12:47. Against Boston on Wednesday night, the three-time all-star played a season-high 28:35 minutes. On November 17 (at Charlotte) and November 20 (at Washington), it appeared as though he would reach 25 minutes, but the score in both games prevented him from reaching that mark.

Nine Bucks players have already been flagged for 13 technical fouls this season, following MarJon Beauchamp’s verbal incident with Jordan Poole in the opening quarter. Griffin stated he admired his squad’s fire when questioned earlier in the season about the technicals; he just didn’t want them to cost his team a game.

Washington has 58 points in the paint. The Bucks let up a season-high 84 points in those area to the Wizards on November 20. The Bucks were having trouble because the Wizards were taking their game to the outside, specifically the three-point line. Washington hit fifteen three-pointers.

The Bucks’ average point total since November 13 is 128.1. Following their season-low 97 points scored in Orlando on November 11, the team’s offensive output has taken off. They’ve gone 6-1 throughout this run.

The In-Season Tournament: What Is It?

Round-robin group play involving all 30 teams was adopted by the NBA, modeled after several European soccer “cups,” with the goal of increasing the significance of regular-season games for both players and fans. The Bucks will play in New York, Miami, Washington, and Charlotte. They are in East Group B.

The eight teams that remain compete in single-elimination matches for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship. These teams proceed if they win their groups. In Las Vegas, there will be a final and semifinals.

The tournament’s group play phase goes from November 3 to December 9. From November 3–28, group play—dubbed “tournament nights”—will be place every Tuesday and Friday.

Connaughton remarked at Friday’s shootaround, “I think it’s similar to the idea of trying to win a championship – you need buy-in.” “In my opinion, the NBA has done a fantastic job of ensuring that there is a high level of awareness, cadence, and consistency. Tuesdays and Fridays are the designated days; these are the times when the wild courts are open, every team is in action, and such activities take place. I believe the league was merely trying to draw attention to that. Getting everyone on board is essentially what’s created a little buzz and made it successful.”

What is the schedule for the remaining Bucks in-season tournaments?

Tuesday, November 28 @ 6:30 p.m. (TNT): Bucks vs. Heat

“As it gets to a place where it’s only two of those tournament games left I think fans and players are starting to see where things shake out and how potentially point differential comes into play,” Connaughton stated. “After a year, in my opinion, people will perceive it in a better light. As things stand, it’s still a little difficult for some people, or your average fan, to truly comprehend what’s going on or why it matters more. When we reach the final pool play game, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals in Vegas, I believe that’s when we’ll witness the success of it.”