MCCOLLUM’S LATE 3-POINTER SEALS WIZARDS’ WIN VS BUCKS

(UPDATE) WASHINGTON — CJ McCollum scored 28 points, including a 3-pointer with 14.4 seconds remaining that helped the Washington Wizards outlast the Milwaukee Bucks 129-126 on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

The Wizards (3-16) have won two of three following a 14-game losing streak, and Milwaukee only managed a split in two games against Washington and Brooklyn — two of the NBA’s worst teams.

It was tied at 115 after former Bucks standout Khris Middleton made a 3-pointer for Washington. Then Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly lost control of the ball while being fouled on a drive, but managed to flip it up and in for a three-point play with 3:36 to play. Then Antetokounmpo slammed down an alley-oop on Milwaukee’s next possession.

The Wizards battled back, however, taking a two-point lead on Middleton’s 3-pointer with 52.2 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo — who was called for a violation in the first half for not shooting a free throw quickly enough — was fouled with 39.3 seconds left and made one of two. Then McCollum stepped back and sank a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to make it 127-123.

Bilal Coulibaly stole the ball and dunked with 5.4 seconds left, pushing the lead to six and drawing Antetokounmpo’s sixth foul.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 30 points for Milwaukee in his second game back from knee surgery. This was only the third game all season for Porter, who dealt with a sprained ankle and then a meniscus tear in his right knee. He scored 13 points against Brooklyn on Saturday.

Milwaukee led 81-65 in the third before Washington rallied to tie it before the quarter was over.

Antetokounmpo scored 26 points but went just 6 of 11 from the line.

 

Cavs 135, Pacers 119

 

In Indianapolis, Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Indiana Pacers.

Mitchell, who made 16 of 27 shots from the field, also had nine rebounds and six assists. Jaylon Tyson added 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting and a team-high 11 rebounds. Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter each scored 13 for the Cavs.

Pascal Siakam had 26 points for Indiana, and Andrew Nembhard scored 21.

Garrison Mathews, who signed a second 10-day contract Monday with the Pacers, added 15 points — hitting all three of his attempts from 3-point range. Jay Huff also scored 15.

The Cavaliers shot 51% from the field while the Pacers shot 49%. Cleveland had a 48-36 rebounding edge. Indiana had 14 turnovers, six more than Cleveland.

Cleveland led by 21 twice, the last time at 53-32 before settling for a 66-54 halftime lead. The Pacers’ only lead was 2-0. Hunter put the Cavaliers ahead for good at 5-2 with a 3-pointer.

The teams shot nearly the same in the opening half as the Pacers were at 50% and the Cavaliers at 49%. The difference was Cleveland had a 27-15 rebounding advantage and committed just three turnovers while the Pacers had eight.

The Cavaliers were without Darius Garland, who sat out of the second of back-to-back games to manage his left toe injury. Lonzo Ball missed the game due to an illness.

 

Magic 125, Bulls 120

 

In Orlando, Desmond Bane scored 18 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls.

Bane made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:23 left, sparking an 8-0 run for the Magic. He also capped the decisive sequence with a foul shot that made it 117-111 with 2:11 to go.

Bane was 12 for 17 from the field. He also had six rebounds and five assists.

Franz Wagner scored 25 points for Orlando, and reserve Anthony Black had 22 points and nine rebounds. The Magic won for the sixth time in seven games.

Josh Giddey had 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Chicago in its fourth consecutive loss. Matas Buzelis scored 21 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulls led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, holding the Magic without a field goal for the first five minutes of the period. But Bane made a 3-pointer and Noah Penda had a driving dunk that tied it at 85 going into the fourth.

Wendell Carter Jr. scored 17 points for Orlando on 6-for-8 shooting.

Tre Jones had 20 points for Chicago, and Ayo Dosunmu finished with 18 points and seven assists.

2025-12-02T16:14:42Z