Kyle Kuzma scores 32 points, Wizards beat Kings 125-111
Dec 23, 2022, 7:39 AM | Updated: Dec 24, 2022, 11:15 am
Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert, second from left, drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
(AP Photo/Randall Benton)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 125-111 on Friday night to end a six-game trip.
“We got it done tonight,” Kuzma said. “We played good tonight. … I put my heart out there every night. I come ready to play. I have something to prove to myself every single night.”
The Wizards had lost 10 of their last 11. They snapped a 10-game losing streak with a victory at Phoenix on Tuesday night, then fall at Utah on Thursday night.
“It was our defense,” Wizards coach Wes Unsend Jr. said. “It allowed us to get out there and run. It’s one of the things we preached all year. If we get stops, we have the freedom to push.”
Bradley Beal added 24 points for Washington (13-21) and Rui Hachimura had 21.
“If we think we’re just going to show up and go through the motions because our record is what it is, we’re going to be in for a rude awakening,” Kings coach Mike Brown said.
Domantas Sabonis had his second consecutive triple-double for Sacramento (17-14) with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points, and Malik Monk had 16.
“We just had too many possessions where one or two people touched the ball,” Monk said. “Us playing terrible on defense made bad shots happen. We just played terrible tonight.”
Washington opened the second quarter on a 28-9 run and led by 30. The Wizards outscored the Kings 70-50 in the paint.
“The Kings aren’t the greatest defensive team and we knew that we could get into the paint and exploit a little bit, especially playing big,” Kuzma said. “It really allowed us to have some different mismatches out there and really attack their paint.”
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Deni Avdija was ruled out because of lower back soreness. … G Delon Wright made his first appearance since Oct. 25 after dealing with a hamstring sprain.
Kings: Sabonis left the game with three minutes left and was holding his hand. He went to the locker room and didn’t return.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Kings: Host Denver on Tuesday night.
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