NBA Power Rankings Week 20: What history will Milwaukee Bucks make?

Last week: Beat Miami 125-119 (OT), beat Philadelphia 108-94, lost at New Orleans 116-104, lost to Indiana 113-104

This week: Monday vs. Utah, Wednesday vs. Boston, Saturday vs. Denver

The Cleveland Cavaliers had won three straight at home but opened up a five-game homestand Saturday night on the wrong foot with a loss to the Pacers, but the Cavs have won four of their last seven and are now 3-3 under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

With their wins to start last week over the Heat and 76ers, Cleveland doubled its victory total against teams currently above the .500 mark after winning just two such games in the season’s first 56 games. The loss to Indiana prevented them from winning three straight against the upper-echelon teams.

Despite the loss, Kevin Love turned back the clock on Saturday, scoring 20 points on just nine shots to go with 12 rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes. In four games last week, Love averaged 15.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 33.8 minutes a game, shooting 40.5 percent overall and a less-than-stellar 27.3 percent from 3-point range.

Last week: Lost at Chicago 126-117, lost to Milwaukee 137-134 (OT), beat Brooklyn 110-106, lost at Utah 129-119

This week: Sunday at Golden State, Tuesday at Sacramento, Wednesday at Portland, Friday vs. Atlanta

The Washington Wizards couldn’t put away the mighty Bucks in an overtime loss on Monday, one night after letting one get away at Chicago. The Wizards have three Pacific Time Zone games left this season and will be finished with those after visiting Portland on Wednesday and remain 4½ games behind the eighth-place Nets in the Eastern Conference.

Bradley Beal lit up the Bulls for a career-high 53 points and then topped that with a new career-best of 55 points in the loss to the Bucks. Over the four games, he averaged 45.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 39.9 minutes per game while shooting 53.0 percent overall and hitting 47.9 percent on 12.0 long-range tries a night.

Beal became the first player in the history of the Wizards’ franchise — which dates to its expansion season in 1961-62 — to score 50 or more points in consecutive games. Beal and Gilbert Arenas have the most such games for the team with three. The others to do it are Earl Monroe, Phil Chenier, Moses Malone, Bernard King (twice), Tracy Murray, Michael Jordan and John Wall.