Washington got unlikely contributions from two sources — their defense and their bench — to snap a two-game losing streak and beat the Bucks 99-88 on Monday night.

The Wizards’ bench outscored Milwaukee’s 28-16 and as a whole, the team made things difficult for the Bucks throughout the night. Milwaukee was 4 of 22 from deep, and missed several shots near the rim thanks to consistent defensive pressure duringthe game.

The solid defensive and bench performances helped the Wizards overcome a night where their starters were a bit uneven. Milwaukee’s length caused problems for the Wizards all game long, but they got timely shots from Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre to give Washington just enough wiggle room to get the scoring they needed to offset a night where they coughed up the ball 16 times.

Takeaways

Kelly Oubre rebounds from rough game in Toronto

A night after arguably his worst game of the season, Kelly Oubre had one of his best games of the year against the Bucks. He had 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting, and more importantly, played within himself against a team that thrives on getting teams to make mistakes. He only committed one foul and had no turnovers.

Last season, this would have been a game where Oubre would have tried to push the ball too hard and make a highlight play to try to spark something when the Wizards got bogged down. Tonight, he stayed composed, let opportunities come to him, and reaped the rewards.

Wizards keep Giannis in check

After struggling to slow down LeBron earlier this month, you could tell the Wizards wanted to show they could slow down a star. They did a much better job in this one, holding Giannis to just 23 points on 21 shots.

Washington was particularly good with contesting shots in transition situations where Giannis usually feasts.

Game Notes

• Bradley Beal became the youngest player to ever make 700 career 3-pointers on this play. Yeah, it helps that Beal entered the league at a young age and during an era where outside shooting has gotten more important. Still, it can be easy to forget just how special he is because he’s been so good for so long. He’s special.

• Marcin Gortat very quietly had a great game. He was a huge part of why the Wizards won the rebounding battle by a big margin, in spite of Milwaukee’s length. He also didn’t commit a single foul despite logging over 35 minutes. He was just what Washington needed in this game.
• Jason Kidd wasn’t with the Bucks for the game. His wife gave birth to a baby daughter on Sunday.

Next up: The Wizards travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Wednesday at 7 p.m.