February 2 vs. Phoenix Suns
If there was one performance that exemplified the kind of season Lopez was having, it was on February 2 during the Bucks’ 129-108 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Lopez’s offensive efforts were blemished by his poor 3-point shooting, which has been a theme of his run all season long. Despite that, the 32-year-old found ways to be effective such as punishing opposing defenders and mismatches with his back to the basket game and putting the ball on the floor to finish at the rack as well.
It was on the defensive side of the ball where Lopez put in a masterclass outing, as shown by his career-high eight blocks. Lopez consistently shut down oncoming drives and shot at the rim and had a number of rejections based on second effort plays.
All in all, Lopez finished with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field (1-for-6 from deep), eight blocks, four rebounds, one assist and was a +6 in nearly 33 minutes of action.
Truly a performance befitting of a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.