Reigning NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks lost for the fifth time in six games as Bradley Beal led the Washington Wizards to a 101-94 comeback victory on Sunday. 

Washington (7-3) scored the first 12 points of the game, but Milwaukee (4-6) led by three at half-time. The Bucks' edge never got beyond four after that, though, and the Wizards took the lead for good midway through the third quarter. 

The Wizards had lost eight in a row to the Bucks but turned it around behind 30 points and eight assists from Beal, who said it felt like a playoff game. 

Washington played playoff-level defence, limiting the Bucks to 39.4 per cent shooting, including just 10 of 36 (27.8 per cent) from three-point range. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 18 rebounds but was only five-of-12 from the free-throw line. 

Durant, Harden lead Nets past Raptors

Kevin Durant had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while James Harden added 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as the Brooklyn Nets (7-3) defeated the Toronto Raptors 116-103. Fred VanVleet led Toronto (6-5) with 21 points and eight assists. 

The Golden State Warriors improved to an NBA-best 8-1 with a 120-107 rout of the team that shares the worst record in the league, the Houston Rockets (1-9). Jordan Poole had 25 points and Stephen Curry 20 for Golden State. 

Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 and became the first player in NBA history to post at least 35 points, 10 assists and eight three-pointers off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-4) rolled to a 126-109 defeat of the New York Knicks (6-4).

Hornets' woes continue

The Charlotte Hornets' franchise-best 3-0 start is a distant memory after the Hornets watched the Los Angeles Clippers (5-4) close the game with a 27-4 run on the way to a 120-106 victory. The Hornets (5-6) shot just 40.6 per cent from the field en route to their fourth successive defeat.