By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Almost everyone is now excited to approach the Christmas spirit as December just swiped down the calendar.
Except for the Washington Wizards.
In all their 14 NBA regular games played in the month of November, the Eastern Conference franchise failed to record a single win and concluded their stretch with a winless streak following a double-digit loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, 124-114.
With their 14th consecutive loss, the Wizards became the only team in the entire NBA to go winless in a month this 2024-2025 season.
It was a promising start for the rebuilding team as they did what was needed to do to keep up with the pace of Milwaukee.
Jordan Poole and Malcolm Brogdon had a great first half and carried the Wizards offensively but the young squad melted down in the final two quarters and could only watch the ex-NBA champions dissect them during mismatch situations.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was unstoppable on both ends of the floor and schooled the Washington defense with his ability to escape double teams at the post.
In the second half, the Wizards started to deploy double teams and soft baseline helps in hopes of slowing down the Greek Freak but Antetokounmpo just overpowered his way and fished for fouls, making a living in the free throw line while also converting most of his two-pointers.
Damian Lillard sparked Milwaukee’s offense in the second quarter but decided to hold back his trigger and feed Antetokounmpo in the second half.
Their two-man game worked perfectly in the fourth and there was just nothing that the Wizards could do despite Poole and Brogdon providing the much-needed offense.
Antetokounmpo cruised his way to a 42-point performance derived from an efficient 15/24 shooting from the field, including 12 converted free throws out of 17 attempts.
Milwaukee’s franchise superstar also capped off his outing with a triple-double, tallying 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and a block.
Meanwhile, Lillard contributed 25 markers built from five three-pointers alongside 10 assists, five boards, and three steals.
On the other hand, the duo of Poole and Brogdon combined for 60 points, with both players scoring 31 and 29 markers, respectively.
Washington will look to end their suffering on December 4, 2024, as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers who are also looking to end their losing streak after dropping back-to-back games against the Atlanta Hawks.
