PORTLAND, Ore. — CJ McCollum scored 40 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat Milwaukee 118-103 on Tuesday night, handing the Bucks their second loss in 10 games this season.
McCollum, who entered shooting well below his career averages, went 17 for 26 from the field and added six assists. Evan Turner had 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Blazers (8-3).
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 23 points and nine rebounds. Brook Lopez shot 6 for 10 from 3-point range and finished with 22 points.
In the third quarter, McCollum put on a show. He scored 19 points and made Bucks rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo fall down on a crossover move before hitting a basket, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
HORNETS 113, HAWKS 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A fourth-quarter surge helped Charlotte complete a successful homestand. Still, coach James Borrego and All-Star guard Kemba Walker know the Hornets need to play better if they want to improve on their 6-5 start.
Walker had 29 points and seven assists as Charlotte beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-102 on Tuesday night. Marvin Williams added 20 points for the Hornets, who finished a 3-1 homestand.
“I give Atlanta a lot of credit,” Borrego said. “They really guarded us tonight. They’re very active with their shifts. We were real stagnant and we didn’t have a great rhythm offensively until the fourth quarter.”
That’s when Walker and Williams spurred a 19-4 spurt that allowed the Hornets to pull away from the Hawks (3-7).
“A win is a win,” Walker said. “We were a little sloppy early on. But we adjusted and made plays down the stretch and came out with a win.”
Walker was critical of his five turnovers on a night when Charlotte committed 21 overall.
“They’re pretty good defensively,” Walker said. “They’re active and they disrupted us early. We have to do a better job of adjusting, especially me.”
Walker and Williams scored 12 points apiece in the second half as Charlotte erased a 54-51 halftime deficit. Walker has scored 25 or more seven times in 11 games.
Jeremy Lamb and Malik Monk each had 13 points for the Hornets. Nic Batum scored 10.
Playing against his former team, Jeremy Lin had 19 points off the bench to pace the Hawks, who led by seven late in the first half.
MAVERICKS 119, WIZARDS 100
DALLAS — The Mavericks have had the Washington Wizards’ number in recent years, and Dallas’ young backcourt ensured that remained the case Tuesday night.
Luka Doncic scored 23 points and Dennis Smith Jr. made three key plays down the stretch as the Mavericks ended a six-game losing streak by beating Washington 119-100.
It was the Mavericks’ 16th win in their last 17 meetings with the Wizards. In the first half, when Dallas built a 24-point lead, it looked like a foregone conclusion.
The Wizards climbed back within six midway through the fourth quarter, but Smith scooted past Dwight Howard to grab an offensive rebound and fed a cutting DeAndre Jordan for a dunk that put the Mavs up 101-93 with 5:33 left.
Just 30 seconds later, the pair collaborated again on a pretty alley-oop, then Smith stole the ball from Bradley Beal near half-court and got it to Harrison Barnes for a three-point play and a 13-point lead.
“This is where you’ve got to trust your players,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “Dennis has earned the trust. He’s seeing things, and those plays were real pivotal plays in the game and it kept them at a distance.”
Smith finished with 19 points and seven assists. Wesley Matthews added 22 points for Dallas, and Barnes had 19 points and 13 rebounds.
NETS 104, SUNS 82
PHOENIX — Caris LeVert scored 26 points, D’Angelo Russell added 15 and Brooklyn beat struggling Phoenix.
The Nets won their third game in the past four, while the Suns have lost eight of nine.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 20 points but made just 6 of 21 shots. Deandre Ayton had 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
Brooklyn held the Suns to a season low in points and field goal shooting at 34.6 percent.