Blazers’ McCollum wins NBA’s Most Improved Player

NEW YORK (AP) — Portland guard CJ McCollum has won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, while Stephen Curry finished fourth after winning the MVP award last season.

McCollum more than tripled his scoring average from 2014-15 and helped the Trail Blazers finish fifth in the Western Conference after losing four starters last summer. He finished with 20.8 points per game in his third season, a 14-point increase.

McCollum received 101 first-place votes and 559 points Friday from a panel of 130 sports writers and broadcasters throughout the U.S. and Canada. Charlotte's Kemba Walker was second with seven first-place votes and 166 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee got four first-place votes and 99 points.

Curry, the favorite to repeat as MVP, garnered seven first-place votes and 83 points after a record-setting season for himself and the Warriors.