Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Bucks' Brook Lopez Makes NBA History in First Half vs Nets

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Dec 26, 2024 9:09 PM ET

Even four months shy of his 37th birthday, Milwaukee Bucks star center Brook Lopez continues to impress.

The 7-foot-1 big man out of Stanford is in the midst of a huge night against the team that drafted him, the Brooklyn Nets, at home in Fiserv Forum.

At one point, Lopez chipped in 11 straight Bucks points (including, at one point, three straight nailed triples) while helping propel the club to a massive doube-digit edge over the visitors.

But Lopez, a two-time All-Defensive Teamer during his Milwaukee tenure, has been getting it done on both ends of the floor Thursday.

When he notched his second block of the night, against Nets starting shooting guard Keon Johnson along the left baseline, he entered rare NBA air indeed.

Lopez became the No. 20 all-time leader in blocks league-wide. He has 1,969 career rejections, as Milwaukee's official social media mentions.

1,969 blocks.

Congratulations to Brook Lopez for moving into 20th all-time in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/5n6pRcPVa3
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 27, 2024

It's representative of what's been a shockingly extended second act for Lopez. When he first entered the league in 2008 as a member of the then-New Jersey Nets, he was a defense-first scorer for the Nets, and played almost exclusively within the 3-point line.

Across 15:36 in the first half, Lopez has scored a team-leading 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting (4-of-4 from long range), pulled down four rebounds, and blocked the aforementioned two shots.

The Bucks currently lead the Nets by single figures, 59-51, at the break, after Andre Jackson Jr. fouled Brooklyn's Cameron Johnson on a 3-point attempt with 3.7 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Milwaukee has led by as many as 13 points.

This story will be updated...

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This article first appeared on Milwaukee Bucks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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