Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez got one of the toughest defensive assignments on Monday night when he went toe-to-toe against two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Lopez did all he could to keep the six-time All-Star at bay — with a lot of help from his Bucks teammates, of course — but ultimately, Jokic did enough to lead the defending champs to a 103-117 victory at the Ball Arena.
Despite the loss, however, Lopez still deserves a ton of credit for the effort he put in against one of the greatest big men this game has ever seen.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez Speaks Out on Matchup Vs. Nikola Jokic
After the game, an understandably worn-out Lopez dropped a pretty obvious confession about just how special Jokic is. Lopez felt the full wrath of the 6-foot-11 star in this one, and he has lived to tell the tale.
“He’s so good, there’s different levels to the difficulty,” Lopez said with a weary laugh, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But I thought our guys did a good job of reading and deciding when to help for me, when to have my back and just make it a bit more difficult for him.”
By the time the final buzzer soudned, Jokic had amassed 25 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer. Lopez and the Bucks, however, held him down to 10-of-25 shooting, which is a truly commendable effort from Milwaukee’s defense.
Lopez and Co. will be hoping, though, that all this results in a win when they face Jokic and the Nuggets again on February 12.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
