Bucks blow lead, regroup to edge Cavs in thriller

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MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, Eric Bledsoe had 26 and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-116 on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee ended a five-game losing streak to Cleveland. Khris Middleton had 18 points and 10 assists, and Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points.

LeBron James scored 39 points for Cleveland, which lost for just the second time in its last 20 games. James had seven assists but grabbed just one rebound in the waning seconds. Kevin Love finished with 21 points.

After a slow start, the Bucks got to the Cavaliers for 39 second-quarter points. Milwaukee cracked the 100-point barrier early in the fourth, but then stalled.

Milwaukee led 103-83 when Cleveland launched a furious comeback. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Dwyane Wade put the Cavaliers up 107-105, capping a 24-3 run and giving the visitors their first lead since the second quarter.

A 3-pointer by Brogdon put the Bucks back in front with 3:38 remaining. A traditional three-point play by James put the Cavaliers ahead 113-112 with about two minutes left.

Tony Snell responded with a 3-pointer for Milwaukee with 58.9 seconds remaining. After a Cleveland miss, Antetokounmpo grabbed a loose ball, hit a short shot and was fouled. His free throw gave the Bucks a 117-113 lead with 5.9 seconds to go (see full recap).

Beal, Scott help Wizards top Pelicans
WASHINGTON -- Bradley Beal scored 26 points, Mike Scott had a season-high 24 and the Washington Wizards beat the New Orleans Pelicans 116-106 on Tuesday night.

John Wall added 18 points and 10 assists, helping Washington win for the third time in four games. Marcin Gortat had 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

New Orleans got another big game from Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, but the Pelicans dropped their second straight after alternating losses and wins in their first nine games in December. Davis scored 37 points, and Cousins finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

After New Orleans tied it at 61 early in the third quarter, the Wizards went on a 24-5 run to take an 85-66 lead with 1:23 to play.

Beal added two 3-pointers to make it 91-68 just before the end of the third quarter.

It was a welcome change of pace for Washington after struggling to put teams away of late. In two wins last week against Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Wizards surrendered sizable second-half leads before holding on (see full recap).

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