Wizards win their 2nd in a row and hand Raptors their 10th consecutive loss
WASHINGTON (AP) Deni Avdija scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma made some big baskets down the stretch to compensate for a rough shooting performance and the Washington Wizards handed the Toronto Raptors their 10th consecutive loss, 112-109 on Saturday night.
With just their third two-game winning streak of the season, the Wizards kept from falling below Detroit for the worst record in the NBA.
"It was a good win for us," said Jordan Poole, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to spark the rally. “It was a scrappy game. Both teams played good. We both struggled for periods of time, but we managed to stay together through it all.”
Bruce Brown missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have forced overtime, and the short-handed Raptors have not won since March 3.
This was arguably their best chance to end this skid - by far their longest of the season - especially after cutting down on the turnovers that hurt them in a home loss Friday night to Oklahoma City. But Toronto, playing without its top three leading scorers and down to just eight healthy players available, made some costly mistakes and faded late after leading by as many as 11.
“I saw a lot of fight,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We missed a layup, we missed wide-open shots, we missed a dunk. Obviously guys, they want to make those shots. They want to make the right decisions there. It did not go our way tonight.”
In addition to Poole's late contributions, Kuzma heated up and went 4 of 6 from the floor in the final minutes after starting 3 of 12 and finished with 16 points.
“That’s what good players do,” Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said. “You find a way. He was missing some shots early that he usually makes, but he put his head down, got to the rim, made some big plays for us.”
Richaun Holmes also grabbed a game-high 14 of the Wizards' 55 rebounds to Toronto's 42, along with 15 points.
"We struggled with rebounding the ball," Rajakovic said. “They scored some timely baskets and tough, contested shots. But the main difference in tonight’s game was rebounding.”
They also struggled to contain Avdija, the ninth pick in the 2020 draft who's making the most of a bigger role.
“I have trust in him, so we’re definitely putting the ball in his hands more,” Keefe said. “Some of it’s also his rebounding: It leads to him pushing in transition. But his ability to get downhill, get to the rim for himself and for others has been terrific.”
Gary Trent Jr. led the Raptors with 31 points, rookie Gradey Dick scored 17 and Kelly Olynyk had 14 points and 10 assists.
Tristan Vukcevic, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, played three minutes and had a rebound in his NBA debut for Washington after signing a two-year deal last week. Marvin Bagley III returned to the Wizards lineup after missing the past nine games with lower back spasms and scored 10 points off the bench.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Wizards: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Kelly Olynyk vs. Richaun Holmes (Corey Kispert gains possession) | ||
| 11:37 | | Jordan Poole misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:33 | | Deni Avdija offensive rebound | ||
| 11:25 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:21 |  | Jahmi'us Ramsey defensive rebound | ||
| 11:07 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 10:57 | | +2 | Richaun Holmes makes two point cutting dunk (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 0-2 |
| 10:38 | | Jahmi'us Ramsey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:35 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 10:24 | | Richaun Holmes misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:20 | | Deni Avdija offensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point tip layup | 0-4 |
| 10:15 | | +3 | Gradey Dick makes three point jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 3-4 |
| 9:50 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:46 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:36 | | +2 | Kelly Olynyk makes two point turnaround jump shot | 5-4 |
| 9:06 | | Wizards turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 8:50 | | +3 | Gradey Dick makes three point jump shot (Jahmi'us Ramsey assists) | 8-4 |
| 8:31 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 8-7 |
| 8:17 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:13 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 8:07 | | Corey Kispert misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:04 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | +2 | Gary Trent Jr. makes two point running layup | 10-7 |
| 7:44 | | Deni Avdija misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:40 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 7:36 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point running layup | 12-7 |
| 7:36 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:23 | | Kyle Kuzma turnover (bad pass) (Kelly Olynyk steals) | ||
| 7:21 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point running layup | 14-7 |
| 7:21 | | Corey Kispert shooting foul (Ochai Agbaji draws the foul) | ||
| 7:21 | | Ochai Agbaji misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 7:18 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 7:02 | | +2 | Richaun Holmes makes two point driving bank hook shot | 14-9 |
| 6:50 | | Jordan Poole shooting foul (Ochai Agbaji draws the foul) | ||
| 6:50 | | Ochai Agbaji misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:50 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 6:50 | | Ochai Agbaji misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:48 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 6:30 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point driving floating jump shot (Johnny Davis assists) | 14-11 |
| 6:17 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 6:11 | | Gradey Dick misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:09 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 6:07 | | Gradey Dick misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:05 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 6:01 | | Corey Kispert turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 5:52 | | Bruce Brown offensive foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 5:52 | | Bruce Brown turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:43 | | +2 | Richaun Holmes makes two point cutting dunk (Jordan Poole assists) | 14-13 |
| 5:29 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:25 | | Gary Trent Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point jump shot | ||
| 5:21 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 5:16 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point running jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 14-16 |
| 5:15 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:04 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point jump shot | ||
| 5:00 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 4:53 | | Jordan Poole turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 4:37 | | +2 | Gary Trent Jr. makes two point turnaround bank jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 16-16 |
| 4:11 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 4:08 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 4:02 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point running layup | ||
| 4:00 | | Bruce Brown offensive rebound | ||
| 3:58 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:54 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | Ochai Agbaji blocks Corey Kispert's two point running layup | ||
| 3:46 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 3:37 | | +2 | Gary Trent Jr. makes two point driving layup (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 18-16 |
| 3:17 | | +3 | Marvin Bagley III makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 18-19 |
| 3:01 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (bad pass) (Johnny Davis steals) | ||
| 2:55 | | Gary Trent Jr. personal foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 2:52 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:49 | | Garrett Temple defensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | Bruce Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:38 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 2:31 | | Deni Avdija misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:28 | | Jordan Nwora defensive rebound | ||
| 2:06 | | +3 | Jordan Nwora makes three point jump shot (Javon Freeman-Liberty assists) | 21-19 |
| 1:53 | | Jordan Nwora personal foul (Marvin Bagley III draws the foul) | ||
| 1:40 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point pullup jump shot (Justin Champagnie assists) | 21-21 |
| 1:24 | | +2 | Gradey Dick makes two point layup | 23-21 |
| 1:14 | | Marvin Bagley III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:11 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty defensive rebound | ||
| 1:00 | | Johnny Davis blocks Gradey Dick's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:57 | | Justin Champagnie defensive rebound | ||
| 0:57 | | Justin Champagnie turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:37 | | Garrett Temple misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:34 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Jordan Poole misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Garrett Temple defensive rebound | ||
| 0:07 | | +2 | Javon Freeman-Liberty makes two point driving finger roll layup | 25-21 |
| 0:02 | | Garrett Temple personal foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 0:02 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-22 |
| 0:02 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-23 |
| 0:00 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | +3 | Garrett Temple makes three point jump shot (Gradey Dick assists) | 28-23 |
| 11:30 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point driving layup (Jared Butler assists) | 28-25 |
| 11:30 | | Garrett Temple shooting foul (Marvin Bagley III draws the foul) | ||
| 11:30 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 28-26 |
| 11:17 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:13 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Kyle Kuzma turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 10:43 | | Jordan Nwora turnover (lost ball) (Corey Kispert steals) | ||
| 10:39 | | Corey Kispert turnover (lost ball) (Bruce Brown steals) | ||
| 10:35 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty offensive foul (Charge) (Jared Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 10:35 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:22 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Javon Freeman-Liberty defensive rebound | ||
| 10:16 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. blocks Bruce Brown's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:16 | | Bruce Brown offensive rebound | ||
| 10:13 | | Gradey Dick misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:12 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | Jared Butler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:57 | | Garrett Temple defensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | +2 | Gradey Dick makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 30-26 |
| 9:16 | | Marvin Bagley III turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:07 | | Jordan Nwora misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:04 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point floating jump shot (Jared Butler assists) | 30-28 |
| 8:42 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. blocks Bruce Brown's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:39 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 8:34 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | Raptors defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Tristan Vukcevic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:03 | | Jared Butler turnover (lost ball) (Javon Freeman-Liberty steals) | ||
| 7:54 | | +2 | Jordan Nwora makes two point driving floating jump shot (Javon Freeman-Liberty assists) | 32-28 |
| 7:38 | | Mouhamadou Gueye blocks Kyle Kuzma's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:34 | | Jordan Nwora defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | +2 | Mouhamadou Gueye makes two point driving dunk (Jordan Nwora assists) | 34-28 |
| 7:28 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:14 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving layup | 34-30 |
| 6:51 | | +2 | Jahmi'us Ramsey makes two point stepback jump shot | 36-30 |
| 6:40 | | Deni Avdija turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:25 | | Jordan Nwora misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:22 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 6:16 | | Gary Trent Jr. personal foul (Patrick Baldwin Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 6:10 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 36-33 |
| 5:57 | | Jared Butler shooting foul (Gary Trent Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 5:57 | | +1 | Gary Trent Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-33 |
| 5:57 | | +1 | Gary Trent Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-33 |
| 5:41 | | +2 | Jared Butler makes two point driving layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 38-35 |
| 5:27 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:24 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 5:18 | | Jared Butler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:14 | | Jahmi'us Ramsey defensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. personal foul (Jahmi'us Ramsey draws the foul) | ||
| 4:56 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (bad pass) (Jared Butler steals) | ||
| 4:54 | | Kelly Olynyk shooting foul (Richaun Holmes draws the foul) | ||
| 4:54 | | +1 | Richaun Holmes makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-36 |
| 4:54 | | +1 | Richaun Holmes makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-37 |
| 4:33 | | Richaun Holmes blocks Ochai Agbaji's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:33 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 4:31 | | +2 | Kelly Olynyk makes two point cutting dunk (Bruce Brown assists) | 40-37 |
| 4:22 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point cutting layup (Jordan Poole assists) | 40-39 |
| 4:04 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Richaun Holmes defensive rebound | ||
| 3:54 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 40-41 |
| 3:48 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:41 | | +2 | Bruce Brown makes two point floating jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 42-41 |
| 3:22 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:19 | | Richaun Holmes offensive rebound | ||
| 3:15 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 3:10 | | Richaun Holmes offensive rebound | ||
| 3:10 | | +2 | Richaun Holmes makes two point putback dunk | 42-43 |
| 2:59 | | Richaun Holmes personal foul (Kelly Olynyk draws the foul) | ||
| 2:52 | | +2 | Gary Trent Jr. makes two point reverse layup (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 44-43 |
| 2:29 | | +3 | Jared Butler makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 44-46 |
| 2:08 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point layup (Bruce Brown assists) | 46-46 |
| 1:53 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:49 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:42 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point layup (Gradey Dick assists) | 48-46 |
| 1:16 | | Deni Avdija misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:15 | | Raptors defensive rebound | ||
| 1:04 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Jared Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 0:57 | | Jared Butler turnover (bad pass) (Kelly Olynyk steals) | ||
| 0:52 | | Bruce Brown turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:34 | | +3 | Deni Avdija makes three point jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 48-49 |
| 0:18 | | Ochai Agbaji turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Poole steals) | ||
| 0:04 | | Gradey Dick personal foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 0:00 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 48-51 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |