On Sunday, Beal put up 53 points in a loss to the Chicago Bulls. Pictures swarmed around the internet about how upset and disinterested Beal looked while sitting on the bench. Washington has been struggling, and Beal's surprise decision to resign with the Wizards for 2 more years left many around the league puzzled.
That hasn't stopped Beal from getting his. The snubbed All-Star rewrote his career-high one night later, putting up 55 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. The overtime thriller saw Giannis Antetokounmpo foul out in the 4th quarter and the Wizards being kept in the game by the playmaking of their star Guard. The Wizards came up short, but Beal's stat line reinforces the notion around the league that Beal genuinely has the ability to be a force in the league.
Beal also became the first player since Kobe Bryant to record 50 points in two consecutive contests. In March 2007 Bryant accomplished the feat, and on the night of his memorial service in Los Angeles, it's only fitting that Beal honored his legacy in the most Kobe way possible. Beal also became the first Wizards player to score 50 in back-to-back contests and is just the 11th player to accomplish this feat.
Beal joins a list of three names to have back to back 53-point games: Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden, and now Bradley Beal himself.
Washington sits at 20-36 on the season and is 4.5 games out of the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Wizards have been awaiting the return of John Wall for almost two seasons to see just how potent their league-leading backcourt could be.
Until then, Beal will need to play at this level if the Wizards want any chance at sneaking into the playoffs.