February 2, 2020 vs. Phoenix Suns
We previously touched on Lopez’s defense, but he has obviously taken his work protecting the basket to new heights this 2019-20 season.
There was no better example of this than Lopez’s work defending the rim than on February 2 earlier this season in the Bucks’ 129-108 win over the Phoenix Suns. Lopez was absolutely magnificent in extensively shutting off the basket to unsuspecting Suns players en route to a career-high eight blocks and subsequently limiting the Suns’ interior attack.
On the other end, Lopez’s 3-point stroke was nowhere to be seen. However, Lopez’s ability to put the ball on the floor and drive all the way to the basket and attack mismatches in the post, which has been an increasingly familiar sight this year.
All in all, Lopez went on to have 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting (1-of-6 from three), eight blocks, four rebounds, an assist and was a +6 in nearly 33 minutes on the court.
We may never see whether Lopez could become a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but performances such as this one, which have become more frequent over the course of his Bucks tenure, will help his case in that regard.