CJ McCollum scored 28 points while leading the Washington Wizards to an improbable second-half comeback en route to a 129-126 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
Milwaukee led by 16 points midway through the third quarter, but the Wizards got within range before going on a 10-1 run in the final 90 seconds of the game. The late surge featured 3-pointers from former Buck Khris Middleton, who had 15 points and six assists, and McCollum.
Marvin Bagley III added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards, who have won two of their past three games in the wake of a 14-game losing streak. A McCollum 3-pointer with 15 seconds left and a dunk by Bilal Coulibaly with 5.4 seconds to go sealed the win. A last-second Bucks 3-pointer merely cut into the margin.
Kevin Porter Jr., who exited the game with a lower back spasm midway through the fourth, led Milwaukee with 30 points. It was his first 30-point game since 2023. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 26 points and seven boards as Milwaukee lost for the eighth time in nine games.
After they had struggled from deep, the Wizards found their stroke in the fourth. They shot 6-for-8 from deep and outscored Milwaukee 38-32 in the final frame to steal just their third win of the season.
In the first quarter, the Bucks looked as they have the past few games: a team that can shoot it from beyond the arc. They knocked down six of their eight attempts from deep and went into the second up 34-28.
In the second, Porter scored 12 points. McCollum countered with 10, and the quarter was nearly even as Milwaukee went into the halftime break up 66-58.
Milwaukee went up 81-65 with 7:20 left in the third quarter after consecutive 3-pointers from Porter, but the Bucks stumbled late in the period due to turnovers. Washington’s defense forced seven giveaways in the frame, and the Bucks led by just three going into the fourth.
The Bucks, who shot 55.3% (21-for-38) from behind the arc, became just the third team this NBA season to make 21 or more 3-pointers and lose a game.
–Field Level Media
