NBA: 40 points! McCollum turns on – lose Bucks

CJ McCollum delivers a creamy performance and leads the Portland Trail Blazers with 40 points to victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, catch a pitch-black evening against the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks.

Kemba Walker was unstoppable again. In nine of eleven games the Point Guard scored at least 20 points, which was the same today when they won against the Hawks. Thanks to Walker it started well for the landlords. Right at the beginning of the game, the Hornets made an 11:2 run, others should follow.

But first the team came back from Atlanta, Alex Len (12) scored 8 of the first 9 points for his team. Afterwards Vince Carter (7 points in total) turned the clock back, with a spin move he passed Jeremy Lamb and got out a crashing One-Handed-Dunk.

In the first half, the game was still tight, partly because the Hornets produced 10 turnovers. The Hawks, meanwhile, had big problems with the three-way line and hit only two of their 16 attempts – this trend continued even after the side change (a total of 6/30 threes). In the course of the second half, Charlotte finally moved further and further away. With a massive 19:4 run they left Rookie Trae Young and Co. behind.

Walker finished the match with 29 points (12/22 FG), 7 assists, 3 steals, but also 5 turnovers. Forward Marvin Williams came to 20 points (3/6 3FG) and grabbed 8 boards. On the Hawks’ side, no player reached the 20 point mark, the best thrower was Young with 18 points (plus 10 assists) – but none of his 7 threesomes landed in the net.

For the Suns it was the eighth defeat of the last nine games. Phoenix also scored the fewest points in a game this season – not a good evening for the home side. The match generally started with a weak offensive on both sides, until the Nets finally finished a 21-9 run at the end of the first half.

In the following section, the Suns started a 9-0 run and shortened the distance to 5 points. However, the team from Brooklyn came straight back and extended the lead back to the original 14 points. Towards the end of the game the Suns had completely lost their rhythm.

The Nets understood well to seal off the zone and let Deandre Ayton throw from the middle distance. The No.1-Pick therefore only hit 6 of his 17 throws and could only help his team to a limited extent (15 points, 13 rebounds, 4 turnovers). Meanwhile Devin Booker had even bigger problems with the efficiency.

The Shooting Guard scored only 6 out of 21 from the field for 20 points. The only ray of hope for the Suns: Richaun Holmes scored 6 out of 7 from the field for 13 points (plus 10 rebounds). In the Nets, Caris LeVert continued his good performance of the season and scored 26 points (10/16 FG). Sophomore Jarrett Allen scored just past the double and finished the game with 10 points (4/7 FG), 9 boards and 5 assists.

CJ McCollum brought the Bucks their second defeat of the season. Although he hasn’t been able to convince completely this season, the Shooting Guard ran hot that evening and outscorte everyone involved. From the beginning, the game was fast-paced, after all, two of the top 5 offensives of the league met each other. Both teams threw over 50 percent out of the field and off the three-way line in the first quarter.

At halftime, it seemed Brook Lopez was the one making the headlines. The Big Man scuttled 4 of his first 7 attempts from downtown and led the game with 16 points. The offensive power cooled down a bit on both sides and the game remained relatively balanced until then.

In the third section McCollum really got going. He exploded with 19 points in this run alone and gave the Blazers a 14-point lead. As the Guard continued to play his way into a frenzy, he danced out rookie Donte DiVincenzo, among others, and dropped him to the ground with a crossover. After that the Bucks couldn’t start their own run anymore.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points (11/18 FG), grabbed 9 rebounds and prepared 6 goals. However, he also recorded 6 turnovers. Khris Middleton scored 22 points (4/10 3FG) and Lopez also scored 22 after his strong performance at the beginning. Damian Lillard fought with his efficiency (5/15 FG) and finished the party with 13 points. Evan Turner played a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.