McCollum scores 40 as Blazers top Bucks
Mavericks finally put away Wizards, halt skid at 6
PORTLAND: CJ McCollum scored a seasonhigh 40 points to lift the Portland Trail Blazers past the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 118-103 Tuesday night. McCollum made 17 of 26 shots from the field and also had six assists and five rebounds as Portland won for the fifth time in six outings. Evan Turner contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who shot 52.7 percent from the field and made 17 of 43 (39.5 percent) from 3-point range. Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Khris Middleton added 22 points, eight boards and six assists for the Bucks.
MAVERICKS 119, WIZARDS 100
Dallas overcame visiting Washington with a late surge in the fourth quarter to snap a sixgame losing skid. Behind hot shooting from Otto Porter Jr., and a spurt from John Wall, who finished with a game-high 24 points, the Wizards made it 97-91 with 7:04 to go. The Mavericks called timeout and then went on a 15-5 run spurred by Dennis Smith Jr. (19 points) to put the game on ice. Rookie Luka Doncic led Dallas in scoring with 23 points, plus six rebounds and three assists.
NETS 104, SUNS 82
Caris LeVert continued his torrid start by scoring 26 points, and Brooklyn opened a four-game road trip with an easy win over Phoenix. The Nets won consecutive games for the first time this season by countering a sluggish shooting performance with effective defense. Brooklyn shot 44.6 percent but allowed a season-low 34.6 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers two nights after forcing a league-high 27 in Sunday’s rout of Philadelphia. LeVert reached 20-plus points for the seventh time by shooting 10 of 16. Devin Booker led the Suns with 20 points but shot 6 of 21 from the floor.
HORNETS 113, HAWKS 102
Kemba Walker scored 29 points, and host Charlotte pulled away from Atlanta in the fourth quarter on its way to victory. The Hornets went on a 17-4 run early in the fourth to turn an 8483 deficit into a 100-88 lead, and they went on to lead by as many as 15 points from there. Marvin Williams played a key role in the rally, with eight fourth-quarter points, including two 3-pointers. He finished with 20 points for the game. Jeremy Lin led the Hawks with 19 points. Trae Young had 18 points and 10 assists but scored only four in the second half. —Reuters