Bradley Beal became the first player since Kobe Bryant to score 50 points on back-to-back nights when he dropped a career-high 55 in the Washington Wizards' 137-134 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

Beal shot 58% from the field -- including 8-of-13 from 3-point range -- one night after he shot 56% and scored 53 points in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.

"I was just locked in and I just was having fun," Beal said. "Probably the most fun game I've ever played in."

Bryant, who was honored in a memorial service in Los Angeles on Monday morning, scored 60 against Memphis and 50 against New Orleans on March 22-23, 2007 -- the final two contests of his historic four-game streak of scoring 50 points or more.

"Oh, man, that's crazy," Beal said. "Didn't know that. That's who Kobe was. That was his drive and that ceremony today just brought the feeling, the tears all back again.''

Unlike Bryant's Lakers, who won all four of those games, Beal's Wizards lost both of his 50-plus games, and the eighth-year guard joined Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden and Devin Booker as the only players in NBA history to score 50 in consecutive games and lose twice. Beal is the first to do it on back-to-back nights.

Beal also became the first Wizards player in franchise history to score 50 in consecutive games. Since the franchise rebranded as the Wizards in 1997, only Michael Jordan had scored even 45 points in back-to-back games for Washington.

On Monday night, Beal had the ball with a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter but opted to pass to Rui Hachimura, whose last-second shot was blocked by Felipe Lopez.

"I probably should've shot the ball at the end of [regulation]," Beal said. "Granted, Rui was wide open. I should've threw a zip pass to him. I kind of lobbed it to him, so I set him up for failure.''

Then at the end of overtime, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said his team tried to keep the ball away from Beal, and Troy Brown Jr.'s 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

"We definitely didn't want [Beal] to take the last shot," Budenholzer said. "We feel fortunate that we made one more play than them probably down the stretch."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- In the 6 a.m. hour, a line begins snaking down Olympic Blvd.

"It's going to be a crazy day, bro," one security guard says to another as people flood the plaza outside Staples Center. Peddlers hawk memorabilia on nearby corners. City bus signages blink, "RIP KOBE."

In the seven days after the crash, as many as 350,000 people passed through this plaza, leaving behind tens of thousands of flowers, more than 25,000 candles, 1,353 basketballs, more than 1,000 jerseys, hats and T-shirts, more than 500 personalized notes and more than 350 pairs of shoes.

But for now, the space is clear, save for barricades to silo a swelling crowd of nearly 20,000 waiting to fill Staples Center. Nearby, large LED screens read, "A Celebration of Life -- Kobe & Gianna Bryant," their names surrounded by 24 purple and gold butterflies.

"All right, let's have a good time today," a security guard tells the crowd soon before the arena doors open near the Star Plaza, where statues of several Lakers greats currently stand. Bryant had been involved in talks about his own statue and even potential poses, but no decisions had been made. And as discussions accelerate, those decisions will now fall to his family.

Inside the arena, a 24-foot-by-24-foot stage stands at center court, framed by 33,643 red roses, one for every point Bryant scored during his 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers, a source says. Here is the intersection between the speakers, the crowd and an arena full of people consoling each other and celebrating Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others who died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 in Calabasas, California.

WITH A BAND dressed in white behind her, Beyonce Knowles-Carter directly faces Vanessa Bryant, who sits in the front row of a small, separate section for the Bryant family. It is surrounded by roses.

"I'm here, because I love Kobe," Beyonce tells the audience, "and ['XO'] was one of his favorite songs. So I want to start that over. And I want us to do it all together.

"And I want you to do it so loud," she adds, her gaze peering upward, "they hear your love."

After Beyonce finishes "Halo," she blows a kiss toward the heavens, places her hand over her heart, looks to Vanessa and mouths, "I love you."

Vanessa claps in return, nodding and sobbing.

Soon after, Jimmy Kimmel, who is emceeing the memorial, asks the crowd for a favor.

"Since we are here today to celebrate," he says, "I'd like to invite you right now to take a moment to say hello to the people around you, whether you know them or not -- to be grateful for life and for the fact that we are all here together."

All around the stage, NBA legends, Lakers staffers and others rise and turn to each other. There are handshakes and long, emotional embraces. The moment lasts for 20 long seconds.

EVERY DETAIL FOR the event itself had been approved by Vanessa and the Bryant family, a source says.

Just after 11 a.m. PT, Vanessa is introduced, and the crowd erupts, immediately rising to its feet. She has been widowed for 30 days, and she walks with a resolved stride toward the lectern.

She carries folded, white pages in one hand, wipes her hair from her face, unfolds her speech and scans the words that capture what she has lost. She clenches a tissue in her left hand as fans shout, "I love you!" Suspended from the rafters behind her, Bryant's No. 24 and No. 8 retired jerseys shine in purple light. She surveys the crowd, her eyes welling, and she takes several deep, long breaths. She places both hands on the lectern and looks toward the crowd. She takes one more deep breath.

"OK," she says, and begins.

"I AM THE White Mamba," Diana Taurasi says.

A source close to the family says the most important thing to them was that the day focused not only on Kobe, but on Gianna -- that she didn't get lost in the mix. Vanessa opened by speaking about her daughter, and the next three speakers -- Taurasi, Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma -- were all from the sport Gianna loved and pursued.

As Taurasi continues her speech, her face clenches. She sniffles. The words are caught somewhere in her throat, and they will not move. She is teetering on that terrible edge, before the body completely surrenders to emotion. She shuffles left to right, back and forth, waging an internal battle for control.

After those long seconds pass, Taurasi finds the words about the last time she saw a young girl considered to be the future of women's basketball, who aspired to play at Connecticut and dominate the WNBA.

"It was the look," Taurasi says of Gianna, fighting tears, "of excitement, a look of belonging, a look of fierce determination."

Later, Auriemma, who coached Taurasi, recounts Kobe's asking him for defensive tips; he had just started coaching Gianna's team.

"Oh my god. That poor kid," Auriemma jokes.

Keep it simple, Auriemma believes. Nothing much more than asking them to stay in front of the person with the ball. But Kobe, of course, wants to know more about rotations, nuances, complexities.

"Kobe," Auriemma says, "they're 13."

MINUTES AFTER THE ceremony ends, Shaquille O'Neal -- who won three titles with Bryant, who warred with Bryant but then grew closer to him as they both aged -- bounds out of his chair.

As attendees make their way toward the exits, O'Neal approaches Bryant's father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, who rises from his chair. The two embrace in a long hug.

Basketball will resume shortly. Staples Center will host the Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers in seven short hours, and the arena will return to its primary function.

The tens of thousands of flowers that were left at L.A. Live in the days after Bryant died fill a blue shipping container and are in the process of being mulched and placed on plants and trees around L.A. Live in the coming weeks. The same will happen to all of Kobe's and Gianna's roses at Monday's ceremony.

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers will get a much-needed boost with Paul George and Patrick Beverley set to return from injuries against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

The Clippers (37-19) hope to stop a season-long three-game slide. George returns after missing one game due to a strained left hamstring but has not played since re-injuring his hamstring at Boston before the All-Star break on Feb. 13. Beverley has missed five straight games with a groin injury.

This will be only the fifth game this season in which the Clippers have had a full roster available. Coach Doc Rivers has had to start 28 different lineups but he still believes the Clippers, once healthy, can "win it."

"That has been the hand we've been dealt," Rivers said of the injuries. "And we have to play that hand and we can play that hand and still win it."

The Clippers have been inconsistent and lack chemistry due to several injuries to key players, having Kawhi Leonard sit one game during back-to-back sets to manage a knee issue and incorporating new additions like Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson.

They have looked like a championship contender at times like when they've beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in both of their meetings but they're also capable of getting blown out by Sacramento and Memphis at home.

Rivers was adamant in saying that the Clippers are not a "flip the switch" team that is just going through the motions in some games and then can turn it on when they want to.

"I don't think we are a flip the switch team," Rivers said. "I would say anyone who says that doesn't know what they're talking about. Because flip the switch teams are teams that have been healthy all year and just have chosen not to play.

"But when you are out of sorts with different lineups, that's different. I would say it is dangerous [to do that] but teams have done it. Golden State, by the way, did it a couple of times and won titles. You can do both."

ATLANTA – The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team has confirmed that reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450 champion Cooper Webb will compete on Saturday inside Georgia’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Webb was involved in a violent crash last Saturday in Arlington, Texas, that saw him flip off his bike and land back and head first on a section of concrete flooring next to the race track.

The crash took Webb out of the remainder of the event and he was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. In a statement Monday evening, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team confirmed Webb had suffered a severe bone bruise on his left pelvis/hip and a hematoma on his sacrum/tailbone.

However, those injuries are not enough to keep Webb from lining up to compete this weekend in Atlanta, Ga.

“Cooper is extremely lucky to have only sustained minor injuries from his crash on Saturday and he will be taking it easy this week to allow the swelling to subside,” said Team Manager Ian Harrison. “As we all know, Cooper is a very tough and determined rider so we know that he will do everything in his power to line up this Saturday in Atlanta.”

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins suffered an injury in the second period of Monday night's game when Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair ran into him on a breakaway.

The injury occurred with 8:44 remaining in the period and the Senators leading 2-1.

Merzlikins remained on the ice for some time before getting to his feet as trainers rushed to his assistance. He eventually put on his mask and skated to the locker room on his own.

The team later announced that Merzlikins and center Riley Nash would not return due to injury.

Merzlikins has been playing well for the Blue Jackets this season. Even despite a seven-game winless skid (0-3-4) heading into the Ottawa game, he has a 12-9-8 record with a 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage in 31 appearances.

He was replaced by Joonas Korpisalo.

Neil Wagner is almost certain to be back in New Zealand's bowling attack for the second Test against India, which begins in Christchurch on Saturday. Wagner missed the first Test in Wellington on paternity leave, but he will return to the squad on Wednesday, replacing Matt Henry.

The debut performance of Kyle Jamieson, who stood in for Wagner in Wellington and shone with both ball and bat, has left New Zealand in a bit of a dilemma over who to play and who to leave out in Christchurch, but coach Gary Stead indicated Wagner would feature.

"Yeah, that's always good selection dilemmas to have," Stead said on Tuesday. "Neil Wagner will come back and he's been a force in our team for a long time, and obviously Kyle Jamieson made the most of his debut, and the way he played, I thought, was outstanding as well, did a really good job for us."

Then Stead was asked if there was any thought to continuing with Jamieson and giving Wagner more time to spend with his wife and baby daughter.

"You always think about those things, but I think Neil Wagner, it was pretty hard missing one Test let alone two Tests, so no, he'll be back with us without a doubt."

Hagley Oval is a venue that has traditionally favoured seam bowlers, so there is a chance New Zealand might go in with both Wagner and Jamieson in a four-man pace attack alongside the new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Tim Southee.

"I think we always consider those things," Stead said. "We'll go down there, look at the wicket, we're still three or four days out at this stage, so don't want to make any assumptions before we get down there, but generally the wicket we play on at Hagley has a wee bit in it as well.

"We've seen in the past, guys like Colin de Grandhomme can be very very useful in those conditions as well - think back to his debut against Pakistan, then it was useful conditions for him - but whoever we go with, we know we need to put in a performance like we did in this game, because, as I said, India will get better."

Another factor that could make New Zealand think of four quicks was the limited role played by the left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel in Wellington, where he bowled only six overs across India's two innings. But Stead said Patel may have played a bigger role if the match - New Zealand wrapped up their 10-wicket win inside the first session of day four - had stretched on for longer.

"You look at it, and again, if the Test went the full distance, or even deep into the fourth day, you'd think that Ajaz would have taken a much bigger part than what he did, but it wasn't to be because our seam bowlers were so good in this Test match, and again, that's a really pleasing thing."

Former heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder told ESPN on Monday that he will "definitely" exercise his right to an immediate third fight with Tyson Fury.

Fury, the lineal champion who took Wilder's WBC belt, knocked Wilder down twice and stopped him when Wilder's co-trainer, Mark Breland, threw in the towel as Fury was pounding Wilder in a corner during the seventh round of their mega rematch on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

"We're definitely going to exercise it," said Wilder, who fought to a disputed draw with Fury 14 months ago. "We're looking forward to it. I'm a warrior and a true champion, and I fight like that every bit of the way. We're definitely going on with it. That's for sure. By the summer time."

Under terms of the deal for the rematch, both sides had the right to invoke an immediate third fight, regardless of the result.

Wilder suffered his first defeat in an utterly one-sided fight. He said he knew as soon as he got into the ring that there was a problem with his legs, which he believes was the result of his miscalculating the weight of the costume he wore into the ring.

"There were a lot of things that went wrong leading up to the fight, in the last minutes before the fight, but I accept full responsibility," Wilder said. "I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was way too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that game has changed."

Wilder had an all-black costume, which also lit up, designed as a tribute for Black History Month.

"I really let the designers freelance with it. It was really their idea," Wilder said. "By the third round, I had no legs. I was completely done. My legs were gone. I had to step into survival mode very early. But you know me -- I'm going out on my shield. I'm a fighter. I'm a warrior. That's what I do."

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury's co-promoter, said he was surprised that Wilder would wear such heavy gear going to the ring, and he pointed out the potential effects of the outfit's full mask.

"Well, I don't know about the legs affecting his performance, but he had to be very, very negligent coming in with that head covering because that choked off his oxygen, and I'm sure that had an effect," Arum said. "Coach [Jon] Gruden [of the Las Vegas Raiders, who was at the fight] said that: 'What is he, crazy?' And it wasn't covering him for two seconds. That was a long [ring] walk."

England's Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) knocked Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) down with a right hand to the head in the third round and with a body shot in the fifth.

Wilder, who needed seven stitches to close a cut inside his left ear, said he thought the first knockdown was from an illegal punch behind the head and that Fury hit him illegally several times. Wilder said he was ticked off that Kenny Bayless, among the most experienced championship referees in boxing, did not adequately protect him, though he did dock one point from Fury in the fifth round.

"I don't understand certain things that Bayless was doing because he came in the back room [for the final instructions], and he looked me in my eyes, and he said that he would disqualify me or take two points from me if I threw rabbit punches or punched after the break," Wilder said. "But I guess that rule only applies to me because my opponent did it all night long. I got knots all on the back of my head down to my neck. [Fury] was elbowing. [Bayless] took a point, but it was too late. At that point, Fury didn't care about that point being taken. I don't know what was going on with Bayless. I'm at a loss for words. I thought he was there to protect us."

Wilder, however, made it a point to not detract from Fury's victory.

"I congratulate Fury on his accomplishment," Wilder said. "I'm very excited for him, and I am not bitter toward no one."

Wilder also said he was extremely upset that Breland, who won an Olympic gold medal and was a two-time professional world titlist before becoming a trainer, threw in the towel.

"For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken," Wilder said. "If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I'd rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

"He knows these things. It's been premeditated. I've said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don't make an emotional decision, and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like, but when you have power like me, I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I'm never out of a fight."

Wilder said that even though he was clearly losing the fight and had been knocked down twice, he still had his faculties in the seventh round.

"I still had my thoughts in my mind. I had to lean against the ropes to get support because of my legs. It really hurt me," Wilder said of Breland's decision to throw in the towel.

At the postfight news conference, Wilder's co-trainer Jay Deas said he did not agree with Breland's decision to end the fight.

"Mark threw the towel. I didn't think he should have," Deas said. "Deontay is the kind of the guy that goes out on his shield. He will tell you straight-up: Don't throw the towel in."

Whether Breland will be back in Wilder's corner for his next fight is unknown.

"We haven't decided yet. I'm about ready to go to Africa. Once I come home from Africa, we gonna get a group decision on what changes that should or need to be done as far as my camp is concerned," Wilder said. "No matter what the decision is, I love Mark. The whole team loves Mark dearly. He's been with me from the start. We haven't made any type of decision of what we are going to do.

"I'm in great spirits, man. Things happen, and you can always correct them and move forward. I'm an optimistic person. I can correct things, be optimistic and move forward."

Arum said that technically Wilder has 25 days -- not the widely reported 30 days -- from the night of the fight to formally exercise his right to another fight with Fury.

"Let's see how this all plays out, and just know that whatever decision the Wilder camp makes, Top Rank and Tyson Fury will respect it," Arum said. "There's no hurry. If they say yes, then we're off to the races. But again, I want to be clear about it, that the ball's in their court, and they don't have to decide this right away. They probably should check on his physical condition and so forth."

Even though the fight would have to take place by July 18, per the contractual agreement between Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions, Arum said it could be delayed until the fall.

"We may all decide to punt it to the fall, September or October," Arum said, adding that the third fight would be in the United States, per their agreement, with the new stadium being built in Las Vegas for the NFL's Raiders a possibility to host.

"We would certainly pick the right date, even if it wasn't in the window that we have in the contract," Arum said. "We would look for the best possible date in 2020. Even though we have the champion, we have a partner in PBC, and we would consult with them. We've been so collegial. I'm not going to upset the apple cart and shoot off my mouth. I want to hear what PBC has to say before I talk to you about dates and sites. We'll sit and talk and come to an understanding just like we did when we made [Saturday's] fight."

-- ESPN's Steve Kim contributed to this report.

Wisconsin Herd coach Chase Buford has been suspended two games without pay following his rant at officials after the Herd's 126-117 loss to the Grand Rapids Drive on Sunday.

The Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, had just blown a big fourth-quarter lead, and Buford was not happy with the officiating down the stretch.

"That was as unprofessional as an officiating performance ... I hope you tweet this out and tag the league, because that was embarrassing. [Referee] Matt Rafferty is a f---ing clown," Buford said. "That being said, we have to be so much better at the end of games. We can't blow a 21-point lead with 12 minutes to go.

"However bad and biased and unfair and illegal and cheating the referees are, we have to be better closing games. So that's the way I feel."

Buford, 31, apologized for the tirade later that evening, saying in a statement that "it was unprofessional and I'm embarrassed."

"It's a tough learning experience as a first-year head coach and I am truly sorry, and will grow from this," the statement read.

The G League said Buford had specifically been suspended for a "direct and extended public attack on the integrity and credibility of the game officials." He will begin serving that suspension on Tuesday when the Herd host the Delaware Blue Coats.

Like their NBA affiliate, the Herd are owners of the best record in their league, at 28-9 heading into Monday's games.

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, who is nursing a sore left thumb, will miss Monday's home game against the New York Knicks.

Westbrook attended the memorial service for Kobe Bryant earlier in the day in Los Angeles, but he made it back to the arena in Houston about an hour before tip time. He was scratched from the lineup about 15 minutes before the game.

Eric Gordon started in place of Westbrook vs. the Knicks, who have lost three in a row. The Rockets, at 36-20, begin the night in the No. 4 playoff spot in the Western Conference. Gordon joined James Harden, Danuel House Jr., Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker in the starting lineup.

Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season (47 games).

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers rookie left-hander Brock Burke will miss the 2020 season because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

The Rangers said Monday that Burke, 23, is scheduled to have surgery Friday that will be performed by team physician Keith Meister. The recovery period is expected to be about a year.

Burke made his big league debut with the Rangers last August when he threw six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He went 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA in six starts after allowing at least six runs in each of his last three appearances.

Burke spent nearly two months on the injured list in the minor leagues early last season because of shoulder issues. General manager Jon Daniels said Burke has been through a series of treatments since the end of last season, including two injections