McCollum scores 30, Johnson has a triple-double as the Hawks beat the Bucks for 9th straight win

Audio By Carbonatix

ATLANTA (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 30 points, Jalen Johnson had his 12th triple-double of the season and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-99 on Saturday for their ninth straight victory.

Johnson finished with 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as Atlanta extended the longest current winning streak in the NBA. McCollum made seven 3-pointers and moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 16th place on the career list with 2,147.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points for the Hawks, who led 60-52 after a first half with six lead changes and four ties. The Hawks then broke it open in the third quarter by outscoring Milwaukee 35-26, with McCollum scoring 11.

Ryan Rollins scored 22 points for the Bucks, who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo after he sprained his left ankle during Milwaukee’s 112-105 loss to Miami on Thursday. Kevin Porter Jr. added 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Dyson Daniels had eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in his first game back after a one-game absence due to a toe sprain. Jonathan Kuminga was ruled out with a knee injury that has kept him sidelined for three of the past four games for the Hawks, whose winning streak began with a 115-104 victory over Brooklyn on Feb. 22.

The Hawks host the Magic on Monday night.

The Bucks host the Pacers on Sunday afternoon.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA