It's been an individually successful, but frustrating couple of weeks for Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal.
After being left off the All-Star team, Beal stated, "I'm a little pissed off about it. ... It's disrespectful, but real ones know (I'm an All-Star). I'll just keep competing. I'm going to try to get my team in the playoffs for sure."
His snub was historic, becoming one of two players in NBA history to average over 28 points per game and be left off the All-Star roster, joining World B. Free back in 1979 (28.7 points per game).
Since then, he's done everything he can to lift the Wizards to a playoff-calibre level, but his team continues to come up short.
Just one day ago, Beal exploded against the Chicago Bulls dropping a career-high 53 points shooting 15-for-27 from the field, 5-for-11 from 3 and 18-for-20 from the free-throw line.
The Wizards lost that game by nine points.
The very next night, Beal stepped to the best team in the NBA in the Milwaukee Bucks erupting for 24 points in the fourth quarter alone to force the game into overtime. Washington would once again fall short with their superstar guard topping his career-high for the second-consecutive game, going for 55 points shooting 19-for-33 from the field, 8-for-13 from 3 and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in a loss.
Another career night for Bradley Beal!
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 25, 2020
He pours in 55 points against Milwaukee to become the first player in franchise history to score 50+ in consecutive games!#WizBucks | @RealDealBeal23 pic.twitter.com/3nh1YLsmw7
His parade would be rained on by All-Star forward Khris Middleton in particular, who stepped up for the Bucks big time down the stretch finishing with 40 points on the game.
On the day of the late Kobe Bryant's memorial service at the STAPLES Center, Beal would become the first player since the Mamba to record 50-point games in consecutive days. He also became the first player in NBA history to record 50-point games in consecutive losses.
That first sentence is great. That second sentence is not the side of history you want to be on.
Beal has scored over 40 points nine times this season. His team is 1-8 in those games. He's scored 25 points or more in 15-consecutive games now, averaging 36.7 points shooting 49.5% from the field and 36.4% from 3 during that stretch. Washington's record over that span? A mediocre 7-8.
The Wizards own an overall record of 20-36 following their loss to the Bucks, 4.5 games back from the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic, who subsequently picked up a massive road win over the Brooklyn Nets.
If Beal is going to fulfill his challenge of bringing his team to the playoffs, he's going to need some help fast.
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