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Wizards

On Monday night, the players from the 2021 NBA Draft got paid after securing their rookie extensions before the 6pm deadline. Here&rsquo;s the full list of major rookie extensions&nbsp; that were finalized:
Moses Moody (GS), 3 years, $39 million
Trey Murphy (NOP), 4 years, $112 million
Jalen Green (HOU), 3 years, $106 million
Alperen Sengun (HOU), 5 years, $185 million
Jalen Suggs (ORL), 5 years, $151 million
Jaden Hardy (DAL), 3 years, $18 million
Jalen Johnson (ATL), 5 years, $150 million
Corey Kispert (WAS), 4 years, $54 million
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LOOK: The full list of major rookie extensions finalized before the 6PM deadline earlier today: 🟥 Moses Moody (GS) 3 years, $39 million 🟥 Trey Murphy (NOP) 4 years, $112 million 🟥 Jalen Green (HOU) 3 years, $106 million 🟥 Alperen Sengun (HOU) 5 years, $185 million 🟥&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/nwGgOkkXpz">pic.twitter.com/nwGgOkkXpz</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1848585822519628194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2024</a></blockquote>

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On Monday night, the players from the 2021 NBA Draft got paid after securing their rookie extensions before the 6pm deadline.

2024 Rookie Contract Extensions: 2021 Draft guys secure hefty paydays

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It's almost play-in and playoff time, folks!
This season has felt more jumbled than ever, which has led to more teams in some sort of contention. Naturally, most conversations around the league will focus on the contenders and the various seeding battles still happening.
It's easy for the teams at the bottom to get lost in the shuffle. They generally reach a point where lottery odds take precedence; in some instances, important young pieces are getting shut down like veterans.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/views-from-the-bottom-young-players-to-keep-an-eye-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Much like last year</a>, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some players who are likely flying under the radar. You have to take post-All-Star break stretches with at least two grains of salt, but this is a time for unheralded players to stretch themselves. In a best-case scenario, they wind up showing you something that transfers to the next season.
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Here are a few players &mdash; just a few! &mdash; who have caught my eye recently.
All stats are updated through games played on April 4.
JALEN GREEN, HOUSTON ROCKETS
The Stats: 23.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists (2.2 turnovers) since the All-Star break&nbsp;
The Skill: Foul-Drawing Craft
For the second year in a row, Jalen Green is popping off the screen after the All-Star break.&nbsp;
He represents a rare blend of athleticism &mdash; slippery and explosive &mdash; and skill. Watching him try to harness that has been equal parts fun and frustrating, depending on how invested you are in his growth.&nbsp;
Drives from Green have been an adventure since he set foot in the league. He's blessed with a handle that can get him most places, a first step that only a handful of guys can slide with and vertical pop that nobody can really deal with if he has a launching pad.&nbsp;
Green hasn't had much issue accessing the paint in his career. How he's gotten there, and what he does once there, has been the work in progress.
Quietly, he's become a little more selective with the turbo button when putting his head down. He's taking advantage of defenders scrambling to stay attached to him. He's feeling out the defender more in a literal sense; if he senses a defender out of position or leaning towards him, he's going right into their shoulder or chest, absorbing the blow and getting a shot up.&nbsp;
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Green is living at the line these days. He's averaging nearly seven free throw attempts per game since the break. Per Cleaning The Glass, Green is drawing fouls on 14.5% of his shot attempts during this stretch, a mark that ranks in the 97th percentile among his position group.
Filter specifically for drives, and Green is still drawing shooting fouls on 14.5% of them &mdash; 10th among 100 players with at least 100 drives, per Second Spectrum.
There's still growth to be had inside the arc. There's a little Anthony Edwards there, where he feels like he can defeat anyone &mdash; or any amount of bodies &mdash; at the rim when easier kicks are available. There's more comfort to be developed as an inside-out passer versus the interior feeds he likes.&nbsp;
But, man, being able to generate freebies at this rate is a welcomed sight. We're not that far away from teams not having a real answer for him as a scorer.
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SVI MYKHAILIUK, CHARLOTTE HORNETS
The Stats: 16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.3 steals over last six games&nbsp;
The Skill: Avoiding Danger
Mykhailiuk is in the midst of one of his most productive stretches. He's provided a healthy dose of shooting, converting 44.4% of his threes (6.0 attempts) over his last six games. Due to the injuries around him, he's gotten to do more with the ball in his hands. Nothing particularly wild on the playmaking front, but he's proven compentent as a second-side creator.&nbsp;
None of the offensive productivity surprises me. The fact that we're even getting to see it to this degree speaks to his work on the other end. I am not here to argue that Mykhailiuk is an elite defender; in fact, most of the numbers I'd use to highlight defensive growth don't paint him in a favorable light. As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-film-breakdown-charlotte-hornets-defense-steve-clifford-dennis-smith-jr-theo-maledon-gordon-hayward-jt-thor-mark-williams-nick-richards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote recently</a>, the Hornets aren't afraid to switch-and-double against matchups they deem unfavorable to them; they've done so with Mykhailiuk.
I'd just like to say that man is&nbsp;working&nbsp;defensively. He's had to take up defensive assignments well above his pay grade as of late: Zach LaVine, Scottie Barnes, some Luka Doncic possessions during their two-game series and it hasn't been a disaster.
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The shift from "obvious weak link" to "best option to attack available" is a subtle, yet important mark of growth. It feels like he's starting to land in the latter camp. All the Hornets, or any team moving forward, needs from him is for him to hold his own. If he can do that, he'll have more opportunities for the shooting and ball skills to pop.&nbsp;
SANDRO MAMUKELASHVILI, SAN ANTONIO SPURS
The Stats: 13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists (1.9 turnovers), 2.8 steals over last eight games&nbsp;
The Skill: Passing Chops
I am an absolute sucker for tall players with passing ability. I gravitate towards playmaking wings, and I especially enjoy watching actual big men dice up defenses with nifty feeds.&nbsp;
Insert Mamu, whom the Spurs have thankfully given room to do stuff with the ball in his hands.
That simply wasn't going to happen in Milwaukee, who needed Mamu to either space or defend &mdash; preferably both, of course &mdash; at a certain level in order to garner consistent playing time. He isn't there yet on either end, and the rest of the roster was too good to justify letting him run things with the second unit.
Because that isn't the case with the Spurs, we've gotten to see stuff like this:
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For those keeping track at home, that was:
<ul>
<li>a transition push after a board, then a kick to a three-point shooter on the move</li>
<li>a slip against a switch, followed by a no-look pass to the corner in an attempt to manipulate Steph Curry's weakside responsibilities</li>
<li>a leaping lay-down pass to Zach Collins</li>
<li>a quick feed to Collins versus a fronting defender, conveniently timed as Talen Horton-Tucker is leaning the wrong way</li>
<li>A pass fake into a skip to Tre Jones for a three</li>
<li>A pump-and-drive, followed by a Haliburton-esque jump-pass for a dunk</li>
<li>A baseline drive against&nbsp;Brook Lopez,&nbsp;puncutated by a kick to the corner</li>
</ul>
There's still plenty of work to be done, particularly on the non-glamour end of the floor. The Spurs, or whoever commits to him moving forward, has to find a coverage for him, have a strong defensive infrastructure around him or both.&nbsp;
If nothing else, though, there's some Hartenstein-lite potential here as a second-unit hub. The passing pops. The screens are good. Being able to credibly drive as a 5 is valuable stuff. More Mamu, please!
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MARKELLE FULTZ, ORLANDO MAGIC
The Stats: 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists (2.4 turnovers), 1.5 steals since the All-Star break&nbsp;
The Skill: Big Man Things
It's been a joy watching Markelle Fultz graduate from the "really good redemption story" arc to the basic reality that he's good at basketball. Period. Full stop.
A smooth operator in ball screens; a crafty finisher at the rim; he's quietly reliable as a pull-up option inside the arc &mdash; did you know he's canned <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1628365/shots-dash?Season=2022-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45.1% of his pull-up 2s</a> this season? He remains a dogged point-of-attack defender.
&nbsp;What's popped for me in a few matchups &mdash; against the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, in particular &mdash; is his willingness to do the little things. Or rather, the "big" things. Both teams stashed their centers on Fultz &mdash; the Jazz with Walker Kessler, the Wizards with Kristaps Porzingis &mdash; in a way to keep them near the basket.
Fultz countered by setting screen, after screen, after screen, creating opportunities for his teammates and himself.&nbsp;
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Fultz has set 131 on-ball screens this season, after setting 77 over his first five seasons combined, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Though the Jazz are techincally still in the play-in hunt, It's worth noting the heater that Talen Horton-Tucker has been on since becoming a starter after the All-Star break. He's averaging 31-5-7 over his past four games, shooting 36% from deep on a heavy diet of pull-ups and getting to the line nearly nine times per contest. It's still hard to have faith in the jumper, and he remains a little tunnel vision-y for my sensibilities, but this has been a nice stretch for him. </li>
<li>Corey Kispert has slotted in nicely as a starter. I've enjoyed his usage under Wes Unseld Jr., running him <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1638566356005146626?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">through staggers</a> or, when spaced, often being the <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1638567273832095747?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only player on his side of the floor</a> to stress out help defenders. It helps that Kispert's been shooting the leather off the ball too: 21.3 points while converting 49.1% of his threes (9.2 attempts) over his last six games is nothing to sneeze at.&nbsp; </li>
<li>Hawks legend Skylar Mays is averaging 17 points and 7.3 assists across three starts with the Blazers. Not quite sure what it means, but I've enjoyed his pacing inside the arc. I also don't think I've seen him miss a floater or a pull-up middy, so that's fun.</li>
</ul>
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Before focusing on the NBA playoffs, Nekias Duncan breaks down young players on lottery teams who have caught his eye lately.

Views from the bottom: 5 young NBA players to keep an eye on

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; The Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated last season in a Game 7 on the road.
One more victory, and they won&rsquo;t have to worry about that.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jrue Holiday nearly added a triple-double of his own as the Bucks took another step toward wrapping up the NBA&rsquo;s best record with a 140-128 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
Holiday finished with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, and Bobby Portis added 19 points and 20 rebounds for Milwaukee.
The Bucks (57-22) moved to three games ahead of Boston with three to play, although the Celtics &mdash; who beat Milwaukee in that seven-game series last year &mdash; have the head-to-head tiebreaker. Boston lost a 103-101 thriller at Philadelphia on Tuesday, with ex-Buck P.J. Tucker hitting big 3-pointers down the stretch as Milwaukee players watched in their locker room.
After that game ended, Antetokounmpo downplayed the importance of home court just a little, noting that the Bucks were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference when they won it all two years ago.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, Boston is a beast, Philly is a beast, Cleveland is a beast, New York is a beast,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said.
Kendrick Nunn scored 24 points for the Wizards, who are out of playoff contention and played without Bradley Beal (left knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle). Washington kept it close until late in the second quarter, when Milwaukee closed the half on a 13-5 run to lead 75-62.
It wasn&rsquo;t close after that, with the Bucks leading by as many as 24 points. Milwaukee wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either. Khris Middleton (right knee) missed the game, which was the first half of a back-to-back for the Bucks. Grayson Allen was also out after leaving Sunday&rsquo;s game against Philadelphia with a sprained right ankle.
Pat Connaughton played only 5:40 because of what coach Mike Budenholzer said was a twisted right ankle. Budenholzer was hopeful it&rsquo;s not too serious.
HIGHLIGHT
On a night when defense was in short supply, Antetokounmpo made an incredible chase-down block on Nunn in the fourth quarter with his team up 15 &mdash; although Corey Kispert followed up with a layup for the Wizards.
&ldquo;His competitive fire, his competitive spirit, it&rsquo;s the best,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;A lot of guys I think don&rsquo;t go get that. Not his physical ability to go get it, but just the competitiveness and the willingness to try. He&rsquo;s very special that way.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo nearly had his triple-double after three quarters but needed one more assist.
LOTTERY ODDS
Washington (34-45) is now in a three-way tie for 11th place in the Eastern Conference with Orlando and Indiana.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Jevon Carter (left foot) did not play. ... Portis has 23 double-doubles off the bench this season, the most in the league. ... Antetokounmpo had eight turnovers. ... Jae Crowder scored 19 points. ... Milwaukee shot 23 of 42 from 3-point range.
Wizards: In addition to the Beal-Porzingis-Kuzma trio, Washington was also missing Monte Morris (right ankle), Delon Wright (illness) and Deni Avdija (left elbow). Jordan Goodwin, Johnny Davis and Anthony Gill, who had combined for 10 starts all season, were all in the starting lineup. ... Davis, a first-round draft pick last year, scored a career-high 20 points. ... Gafford picked up four fouls in the first half.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Chicago on Wednesday night.
Wizards: At Atlanta on Wednesday night.

The Bucks (57-22) moved to three games ahead of Boston with three games to play.

Antetokounmpo’s triple-double lifts Bucks over Wizards

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes each scored 27 points, and the New York Knicks clinched a playoff berth with a 118-109 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
Immanuel Quickley added 22 points and Obi Toppin had 21 for the Knicks, who won their fourth in a row and will be in the postseason for the second time in three years. They had missed the playoffs the previous seven seasons.
Mitchell Robinson contributed eight points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks, who have won both games since losing All-Star forward Julius Randle to a sprained left ankle.
Corey Kispert led Washington with a career-high 29 points. Johnny Davis had 16 and Taj Gibson added 14.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and 61-53 at halftime. The Wizards extended their lead to 64-55 before the Knicks went on a 14-4 run to reclaim a lead they never gave back. New York extended its advantage to 86-79 at the end of the third quarter.
Toppin opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer, giving the Knicks their first double-digit lead. The Wizards never got closer than eight the rest of the way. New York took its biggest lead at 114-94 on Brunson&rsquo;s floater with 2:38 left in the game.
The Knicks were ahead 36-31 early in the second when the Wizards went on a 17-2 run and took a 48-38 lead on Deni Avdija&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:41 left in the second quarter. Jordan Goodwin and Kendrick Nunn each had 11 points for the Wizards.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Washington was without its top three scorers: Bradley Beal (23.2), Kristaps Porzingis (23.2) and Kyle Kuzma (21.2). Porzingis missed his second straight game with a non-Covid illness, while Beal (sore left knee) and Kuzma (sprained right ankle) have been out for six and seven games, respectively. ... In eight games against his former team, Porzingis has averaged 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. &hellip; No one on the Wizards&rsquo; roster has played in all of the team&rsquo;s games this season. Avdija has only missed one.
Knicks: RJ Barrett missed the game with a non-Covid illness. &hellip; Randle had started the first 77 games before his injury. Only Isaiah Hartenstein has played in every game for the Knicks. &hellip; Exactly 53 years ago, April 2, 1970, the late Willis Reed collected a Knicks playoff-record 36 rebounds in a win over the then-Washington Bullets in Game 5 of the Eastern Division semifinals.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Knicks: At Indiana on Wednesday.

Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes each scored 27 points, and the Knicks clinched a playoff berth with a 118-109 win over the Wizards.

Knicks clinch playoff berth with 118-109 win over Wizards

WASHINGTON --&nbsp;Paolo Banchero is finishing strong in his bid for Rookie of the Year honors.
Banchero had 30 points and 12 rebounds, Markelle Fultz added 25 points and the Orlando Magic overcame a 16-point second half deficit to beat the Washington Wizards 116-109 on Friday night.
The Wizards managed only 13 points in the final quarter and fell to three games behind Chicago for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining. Orlando remained four games behind the Bulls, who routed Charlotte 121-91.
Banchero, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft out of Duke, is the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and Fultz gave him an endorsement.
&ldquo;I think you just see it, playing both ends of the floor, being able to create, being confident and poised," Fultz said. "I don't really think it's any discussion about it, but of course people got to vote.&rdquo;
Washington was without its top three players &mdash; Bradley Beal (left knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle).
Corey Kispert scored a career-high 27 points for Washington but did not manage a shot attempt in the fourth until the final minute. He made nine of the Wizards' 17 3-pointers.
Washington scored the first 13 points of the third quarter and led 76-60. The Magic cut the lead to three later in the quarter but the Wizards were up 96-85 entering the fourth.
In that final period, however, Orlando shut Washington down. The Wizards went 1 of 11 from long distance in the fourth and 5 of 23 from the field.
&ldquo;Some of the shots we were passing up, we've got to just take them, make or miss,&rdquo; Wizards guard Delon Wright said. &ldquo;I feel like that was the biggest thing &mdash; just not being confident in some of the shots we were taking.&rdquo;
The Magic finally took a 105-103 lead on a 3-pointer by Cole Anthony. That was part of a 13-2 run that put Orlando up by eight.
Anthony scored seven of his 16 points in the fourth.
&ldquo;That midrange, I think we found a time in the possessions that it was a clean look, it was the right look," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "His ability to walk in there and step in there with confidence is what we've asked him to do.&rdquo;
ADJUSTMENT
Wright credited Orlando's zone defense with helping to turn the tide, and Mosley said the Magic defended well as a team.
&ldquo;Our guys did a great job communicating," Mosley said. "Our bench was doing a fantastic job of communicating with those guys on the floor, knowing where Kispert was, finding shooters.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Magic: Kevon Harris (left elbow) did not play. ... Fultz went 11 of 15 from the field. ... Franz Wagner had 20 points. ... Banchero went 13 of 14 on free throws. The Wizards as a team were just 10 of 12. ... Orlando has won four of five, including two victories over Washington.
Wizards: Kispert's previous career high was 26 points. ... Delon Wright had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Daniel Gafford contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds. ... Rookie Johnny Davis scored 10 points but went 4 of 15 from the field. ... Washington attempted a season-high 50 3-pointers. ... The Wizards used 11 players, although Kispert played 41:52.
UP NEXT
Magic: Host Detroit on Sunday night.
Wizards: At New York on Sunday night.

Banchero had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the Magic overcame a 16-point second half deficit to beat the Wizards 116-109 on Friday.

Magic beat Wizards 116-109 behind Paolo Banchero's 30 and 12

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Luke Kennard made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers to match his career high with 30 points, Desmond Bane added 25 points and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot after building a 31-point halftime lead and coasting to a 151-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Ja Morant scored 18 points and had eight assists in his second game after serving an eight-game league-imposed suspension after he posted a video in which he is shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club. Morant, as he did in his first game back Wednesday also against the Rockets, again came off the bench. He entered with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 18 points and had seven rebounds and two blocks for Memphis, which made a franchise-best 25 3-pointers and had the second-most points in team history. The Grizzlies won their 11th straight at home and moved within three games of idle Denver, which holds the top spot in the Western Conference.
Tari Eason had 21 points to lead Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 20.
CELTICS 120, PACERS 95
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, setting a franchise record with his 40th 30-point game this season, and Boston rolled past Indiana.
Tatum passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who had 39 30-point games during the 1987-88 season.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 22 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who have won four of five and improved to 27-9 at home this season.
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his first game back from a six-game absence with a combination of a bruised left knee and sprained right ankle. Myles Turner added 20 points and six rebounds.
LAKERS 116, THUNDER 111
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Dennis Schr&ouml;der added 13 of his 21 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Lakers got a vital victory for their playoff hopes.
Lonnie Walker scored 20 points in an impressive return to the rotation for the Lakers, who have won three straight to move even with Minnesota in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. With Davis leading the way on both ends of the court, Los Angeles (37-37) also reached .500 for the first time this season after holding off the Thunder despite the injury absences of LeBron James and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey scored 27 points apiece for Oklahoma City, which lost for only the fourth time in 12 games down the stretch. The Thunder (36-38) dropped into a tie with Dallas for 10th in the West.
WARRIORS 120, 76ERS 112
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jordan Poole scored 33 points and swished a key 3-pointer with 1:18 to play off a pretty pass by Draymond Green, Stephen Curry added 29 points and eight rebounds and Golden State rallied past Joel Embiid and Philadelphia.
Embiid checked back into the game with 8:26 left and scored 13 straight on the way to 46 points, but the Warriors came back from 11 down for their ninth straight home win &mdash; and one of the most important yet as they fight for playoff positioning.
Embiid shot 13 for 23, made 19 of 22 free throws and had nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He helped Philadelphia take an 88-79 lead going into the fourth. He had his streak of scoring 30 or more points in a franchise-record 10 straight games snapped in Wednesday&rsquo;s 116-91 win at Chicago but made up for it.
WIZARDS 136, SPURS 124
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Corey Kispert scored 26 points and sank six 3-pointers, Deni Avdija added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Washington pulled away for a win over San Antonio.
Delon Wright added 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis 23 for the Wizards, who missed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal (left knee sprain) for a second game but snapped a four-game skid.
Washington sank 15 of 30 attempts beyond the arc one game after setting season lows for number and percentage of 3s made in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss to West-leading Denver.
Keldon Johnson scored 30 points for San Antonio, which played without 2022 ninth-overall draft pick Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) for the third time in four games.
RAPTORS 118, PISTONS 97
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 32 points, Chris Boucher had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Toronto routed Detroit for its eighth win in nine home games.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points and O.G. Anunoby 17 as Toronto completed its first four-game sweep of Detroit since the 2017-18 season. The Raptors also improved to 7-0 when holding opponents below 100 points
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman each had 14 for Detroit, but the Pistons lost for the 16th time in 17 games.
HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 109
DALLAS (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington Jr. scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 25 as undermanned Charlotte built a 21-point lead and held on to beat Dallas.
The Hornets, who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race last week, earned a split of a back-to-back after losing by 19 points on Thursday night at New Orleans and finishing with only seven healthy players.
Luka Doncic had 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, who lost their third straight and for the sixth time in eight games. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points after missing one game with a toe injury. He and Doncic played together for the first time since March 8. The Mavericks are 3-7 with both in the lineup.
BUCKS 144, JAZZ 116
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen scored a season-high 25 points to lead Milwaukee past Utah.
Allen made five 3-pointers and shot 57% from the field to help the Bucks lead wire-to-wire. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 11 assists, and Pat Connaughton scored 22 points while making six 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and seven assists, and Brook Lopez had 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.
Milwaukee made 22 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field to fuel its third straight victory.
Simone Fontecchio scored a career-high 26 points in his third career start to lead the Jazz.
BULLS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine scored 33 points and Chicago dominated short-handed Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won six of their last eight games and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with nine regular-season games remaining.
Portland, which has lost seven of its last eight games, was led by rookie Shaedon Sharpe, who matched his career high with 24 points. The Blazers&rsquo; lone win during the recent stretch came against the Utah Jazz 127-115 on Wednesday. Portland was at 13th in the Western Conference standings, well out of the playoff picture.
Regular Portland starters Damian Lillard (calf tightness), Jusuf Nurkic (sore right knee), Jerami Grant (quad contusion) and Anfernee Simons (sore right foot) did not play against the Bulls.
KINGS 135, SUNS 127
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Huerter led all scorers with 29 points and Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Huerter added nine rebounds and five assists for the Kings (44-29), who are in third place in the Western Conference behind Denver and Memphis. Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Kings.
Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox exited the game with 7:16 left in the third quarter with right hamstring soreness. Fox finished with 19 points in 21 minutes.
Devin Booker finished with 32 points for the Suns (38-36). Terrence Ross scored a season-high 30 points off the bench and hit six 3-pointers.

A recap of Friday night's slate of NBA action includes Memphis punching its ticket to the postseason.

Grizzlies earn playoff berth as Kennard makes 10 3-pointers

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Fred VanVleet made two 3-pointers in overtime and scored 25 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 116-109 on Saturday to split their two-game series.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 26 points to lead the Raptors, who bounced back from their 119-108 loss Thursday night to move back ahead of the Wizards into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
&ldquo;I thought we shot better,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;Created the same amount of good looks, but shot a little bit better and we just guarded a little bit tougher down the stretch finishing out the game, closing out the game.&rdquo;
VanVleet added 10 assists and Pascal Siakam had 15 points and seven assists for Toronto.
Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards. Bradley Beal added 21 points and 10 assists, but shot just 7 for 22 and missed a jumper that could have won it in regulation.
&ldquo;We knew that we wanted to make it 2-0, but we fell a little bit short,&rdquo; Porzingis said. &ldquo;We made a comeback, had opportunities, fell short. That&rsquo;s how it goes in this game.&rdquo;
VanVleet snapped a 107-all tie with a 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining in OT. After Kyle Kuzma made a pair of free throws to cut it to one, VanVleet knocked down another 3 that made it 113-109, and Siakam&rsquo;s three-point play with 15 seconds to go put it away.
Neither team had a double-digit lead through three quarters, but Toronto appeared to be taking control when it opened a 97-84 advantage with 9:24 to play.
The Wizards charged back behind Porzingis, who had three baskets in a little more than two minutes to cut it to 105-102 with 2:21 remaining. Trent and VanVleet missed 3-pointers before Delon Wright tied it with his 3 with 30 seconds left.
VanVleet missed another 3 and Beal missed a jumper to force the extra period.
&ldquo;I think the big thing is during the break between the end of the game and the OT, the assistant coaches, the message was: `We are generating awesome shots. We&rsquo;re going to make them in the overtime,&rsquo;&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;Like, just keep doing what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Wright had a season-high 18 points, tied a career high with six steals and added seven assists and six rebounds.
TIP-INS
Raptors: O.G. Anunoby missed all six 3-pointers and finished 2 for 11 for six points. ... Toronto has won 14 of its last 16 in Washington.
Wizards: Kuzma scored 16 points. ... Corey Kispert was 4 for 4 behind the arc and scored 12 points.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Denver on Monday night.
Wizards: Host Milwaukee on Sunday night.

Fred VanVleet made a pair of 3s in overtime and scored 25 points, and the Raptors beat the Wizards 116-109 on Saturday.

Fred VanVleet hits two 3s in OT, Raptors beat Wizards 116-109

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored the game&rsquo;s first 10 points and finished with 30, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points, and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 119-108 on Thursday night in the opener of a two-game set between Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
Daniel Gafford scored 18 points and Delon Wright had a season-high 11 assists for the Wizards (30-32), who moved within percentage points of the ninth-place Raptors (31-33) in the East standings.
O.G. Anunoby scored 26 points and Jakob Poeltl had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who had won five of their previous six games.
Washington beat Toronto at home in the regular season for the first time since Feb. 1, 2018, ending a six-game winning streak for the Raptors at Capital One Arena.
Kuzma essentially put the game away early in the fourth quarter when he found Corey Kispert for a 3, buried a step-back 3 of his own and drove for a layup to conclude a 12-2 run that made it 99-80. The Raptors made a late push but did not get closer than eight points.
The Wizards had a 59-50 lead at halftime that could have been bigger if not for a couple of lulls. Kuzma made two 3s and had an emphatic dunk during his game-opening burst, but Toronto responded with an 18-2 run. The Wizards went on a 12-2 run for a 50-36 lead in the second quarter; Toronto countered with a 10-0 flurry.
The Wizards had more explosiveness and outside shooting touch throughout, shooting 46.7% from 3-point range to the Raptors&rsquo; 27.3% and finishing with 16 fast-break points to the Raptors&rsquo; four.
Pascal Siakam had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto. Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet had 14 points apiece, but VanVleet was 2 of 11 on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Raptors: This is the first of two five-game trips remaining for Toronto, which has only eight home games left. The Raptors are 20-13 at home and 11-20 on the road. ... G Will Barton, waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21 and signed by the Raptors on Tuesday, played seven minutes and didn&rsquo;t score.
Wizards: Bradley Beal had 15 points. ... Corey Kispert finished with 10 points and two 3-pointers, becoming the first Wizard to make 100 3s in his first two seasons. ... Wright started at point guard in place of Monte Morris (lower back), who had an epidural injection on Wednesday, missed his third straight game and is considered week to week. ... Washington signed F/C Jay Huff to a two-way contract. The 7-foot-1 Huff had been playing for the South Bay Lakers of the G League, averaging a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. Huff was previously with the Wizards in the 2021 Summer League after going undrafted out of Virginia. ... Washington has 13 home games left and only seven on the road, with no trips longer than one game.
UP NEXT
The teams conclude their two-game set at Washington on Saturday.

Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 25, and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 119-108 on Thursday.

Kyle Kuzma scores 30, Wizards beat Raptors to edge closer in East

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; The Washington Wizards looked ready to start their All-Star break early, before Bradley Beal helped snap them out of their funk.
This new-look, still-adjusting team has been starting to turn a corner.
Beal had 13 of his 35 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes to help the Wizards finish their rally from a 20-point first-quarter deficit and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 on Thursday night.
Kyle Kuzma &mdash; who had 16 points on just 6-for-21 shooting &mdash; swished a top-of-the-key fadeaway from deep for a 107-106 lead that was Washington&rsquo;s first of the game with 1:14 to go.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to keep building these habits that we&rsquo;re doing right now,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re playing great team ball right now.&rdquo;
Beal, who topped the 30-point mark for the third time in four games, followed with a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left &mdash; after a miss by Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards &mdash; to make it 110-106.
&ldquo;Probably this is the best game for me this season so far, because of how we showed our heart, we stayed in the game, we kept playing,&rdquo; said Kristaps Porzingis, who had 14 points. &ldquo;Some guys were already like checked out a little bit. We locked back in and we pulled it out of somewhere.&rdquo;
Corey Kispert scored 15 points off the bench to offset off nights by Kuzma and Porzingis and help the Wizards (28-30) build on their recent momentum entering the All-Star break. They have won 10 of their last 14 and hold the 10th and final spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still learning each other, but now we feel like we can take off running,&rdquo; Beal said.
Edwards had 18 of his 34 points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves surge to a 30-10 lead. They were still ahead 99-92 with 4:38 left after three free throws by Kyle Anderson, before Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer to spark his late surge.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves (31-30), who were derailed by their characteristic mid-game lulls and missed an opportunity to move a season-best three games above the .500 mark.
With the Wizards wearing their hot pink &ldquo;City Edition&rdquo; uniforms in an&nbsp;ode to the city&rsquo;s iconic cherry blossoms, the Wolves were the hotter team for most of the game while new point guard Mike Conley continued to help Gobert find his offensive groove with the pick-and-rolls and lob passes they perfected together in Utah.
But Edwards &mdash; who had six turnovers &mdash; began to make some rash decisions after his strong start, and the Wolves were outrebounded and outhustled down the stretch.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done it time and time again,&rdquo; said Anderson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. &ldquo;It stings like hell.&rdquo;
The Wizards have won seven straight games against the Wolves, extending the longest streak in the history of their series.
&ldquo;I feel like it&rsquo;s the same story,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;We get a lead, and then we just lose the urgency.&rdquo;
ANT GOES MARCHING
Edwards, who was added to the All-Star roster last week&nbsp;as an injury replacement, was&nbsp;headed to Utah&nbsp;for the annual in-season showcase this weekend while his teammates scattered on vacations.
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&ldquo;I think moments like that are perfectly suited for him,&rdquo; Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. &ldquo;He enjoys that type of environment. It&rsquo;ll be fun for him in and around all of those other players. He&rsquo;ll get treated like the star that he is becoming.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal, who became the second player in franchise history to hit the 15,000-point mark for his career in a loss on Monday at Golden State, went 14 for 28 from the floor. ... Kispert went 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He was 5 for 22 over his last five games.
Timberwolves: Edwards had only one higher-scoring first quarter in his three-year career, with 19 points at Orlando on Nov. 16. ... Towns missed his 40th straight game with the right calf strain he suffered when Minnesota played at Washington on Nov. 28.
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Bradley Beal scored 35 points to help the Washington Wizards rally from a 20-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106.

Beal, Wizards overcome 20-point deficit to beat Timberwolves

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Cam Thomas scored a career-high 44 points off the bench and the short-handed Brooklyn Nets rallied from a 23-point deficit to stun the Washington Wizards 125-123 on Saturday night.
Edmond Sumner also set a personal best with 29 points and Nic Claxton had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets, who had their largest comeback win of the season and swept the regular-season series against the Wizards. Patty Mills added 13 points and Royce O&rsquo;Neale had 10 for the Nets, who trailed 44-21 late in the first quarter.
The victory came despite Brooklyn being without Kyrie Irving, who was out with what the team said was right calf soreness &mdash; a day after he told the Nets he wants to be traded.
The Nets, who also played without Kevin Durant (right knee MCL sprain), T.J. Warren (left shin contusion) and Ben Simmons (left knee soreness), also lost Seth Curry (left adductor) and Markieff Morris (sore left knee) in the game.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 38 points before fouling out. Deni Avdija finished with 23 points, Monte Morris added 18 and Corey Kispert had 15 as Washington lost its second in a row.
Entering the fourth quarter, Washington was clinging to a 99-92 lead but Mills, Thomas, and Yuta Watanabe scored eight points to help Brooklyn close to 102-100. Porzingis replied with a 14-footer and two free throws to extend the Wizards&rsquo; lead to 106-101.
It didn&rsquo;t last long.
Mills and Sumner made baskets to cut it to 106-105, but Porzingis&rsquo; three-point play pushed the lead back to four. Thomas converted a layup and a two-handed dunk on Brooklyn&rsquo;s next two possessions to tie it at 109-109.
After Washington took a 110-109 lead on a free throw by Porzingis, Brooklyn went ahead for the first time in the game on Thomas&rsquo; 3-pointer with 5:46 left. Porzingis knocked down two free throws to tie it again.
With the Nets ahead 120-119, Morris gave the Wizards the lead again on a pair of free throws. But Thomas made a jumper, Morris had a pull-up jumper and Thomas made a layup and then a free throw after Daniel Gafford was called for goaltending and Avdija whistled for a foul &mdash; giving Brooklyn a 125-123 lead.
Washington had a chance to tie when Thomas was called for a foul, but Morris missed both foul shots and the Nets got the rebound and ran out the clock.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said before the game Bradley Beal was out with &ldquo;left foot soreness.&rdquo; At some point during the Wizards&rsquo; 124-116 loss to Portland on Friday night, Beal landed on Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons&rsquo; foot. &ldquo;He was able to get through, (but) you could tell there were some moments throughout the third or fourth quarter when he just didn&rsquo;t move correctly,&rdquo; Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;So he&rsquo;ll get re-evaluated this afternoon, this evening and tomorrow.&rdquo; Beal, in his 10th season, is averaging 22.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
Nets: Much of coach Jacque Vaughn&rsquo;s pregame availability was spent discussing Irving&rsquo;s trade demand, which became public Friday afternoon. The Nets entered the game third in the Atlantic Division, fourth in the Eastern Conference, and sixth overall in the NBA. &ldquo;I think you make this as simple as possible,&rdquo; Vaughn said. &ldquo;With the group, you&rsquo;re extremely honest with these guys. ... So I think that&rsquo;s the approach with this group: focus on today. That doesn&rsquo;t change. We&rsquo;ve been really good at just locking in and doing our jobs.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Cleveland on Monday night.
Nets: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

Cam Thomas scored a career-high 44 points off the bench and the Nets rallied from a 23-point deficit to stun the Wizards 125-123.

Cam Thomas helps Nets rally from 23 down to beat Wizards 125-123

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Washington Wizards rally for a 108-103 victory over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.
The Wizards trailed by as many 19 points and were down by 10 to open the fourth quarter before Kuzma took over.
The Wizards scored the first eight points of the fourth to start a 15-2 run that gave them an 86-83 lead with about eight minutes left. The Wizards made five free throws in that span and Kuzma had 10 points with two 3-pointers.
Tari Eason made a layup for Houston after that before Kuzma made two more 3-pointers in less than a minute to power an 8-0 run that pushed Washington&rsquo;s lead to 94-85.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen it from him,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;Once he gets going he&rsquo;s shooting into a big bucket. We needed it. We trust to put the ball in his hands in these moments and he&rsquo;s come up big for us.&rdquo;
Houston&rsquo;s Alperen Sengun had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double. Jalen Green had 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting after scoring a career-high 42 points Tuesday night against Minnesota in a win that snapped a 13-game skid.
&ldquo;Late third quarter we got away from the things that are about winning, about building winning habits, about taking the right shot, about making the right path, and we&rsquo;ve got to be better,&rdquo; coach Stephen Silas said. &ldquo;Young and inexperienced and all that, we&rsquo;ve got to do better.&rdquo;
Four points by the Rockets got them within four with less than 30 seconds to go before Bradley Beal made two free throws to make it 107-101. A dunk by Kenyon Martin Jr. cut the lead to four again with seven seconds to go but Kuzma made 1 of 2 free throws to seal the victory.
After the poor start to the fourth quarter, Houston got going, using an 7-2 run, with two dunks from Martin, to cut the lead to 96-92 with 4 1/2 minutes left.
But the Wizards scored the next five points to make it 100-92 with three minutes to go.
Eric Gordon made a basket for Houston after that but another 3 by Kuzma extended Washington&rsquo;s lead to 105-97 with less than a minute to go.
Unseld was disappointed in how his team started the game but impressed with the way his guys bounced back.
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&ldquo;Not the prettiest game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t have the energy in that first half&hellip; but to their credit they responded after halftime. In that fourth quarter we really ramped it up.&rdquo;
The Rockets were up by 15 at halftime and had a 13-point lead with about eight minutes left in the third. The Wizards then used a 10-2 spurt to cut the lead to 66-61 with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Corey Kispert had five points during that stretch and Kuzma capped it with a 3-point play.
Houston scored the next six points, with four from Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, to extend the lead to 72-61 with less than four minutes to go in the quarter.
Newcomer Kendrick Nunn made a 3-pointer for Washington after that, and Green added four points for the Rockets before another 3 by Nunn cut Houston&rsquo;s lead to 76-67.
The Rockets added a basket before a 4-0 run by the Wizards, highlighted by a dunk from Kuzma cut the deficit to 78-71.
But Houston scored the last three points of the quarter to take an 81-71 lead into the fourth.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. &hellip; Monte Morris sat out with a sore right hamstring. &hellip;
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. missed a seventh consecutive game with a bruised left foot. &hellip; Garrison Mathews received a flagrant foul early in the third quarter for a hit on Daniel Gafford, that sent him tumbling to the court. ... Beal had 17 points.
NUNN&rsquo;S DEBUT
Nunn made his Washington debut after being part of the trade from the Lakers for Rui Hachimura Tuesday. He had 12 points.
Unseld liked what he saw from his new player.
&ldquo;I thought he was good,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough because we haven&rsquo;t had a full practice. But he just played to his strengths. He&rsquo;s a good player. He&rsquo;s got the ability to fill it up.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>

Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as the Washington Wizards got a 108-103 win over the Houston Rockets.

Kyle Kuzma has 33 points, Wizards beat Rockets 108-103

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points and made one of two free throws to break a tie with 4.2 seconds remaining, lifting the Washington Wizards to a 127-126 victory over Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Luka Doncic had 41 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic still had on the jersey he ripped when he missed a free throw that would have put Dallas in front with 12.5 seconds to go when he bumped Kumza on a drive along the sideline.
The Mavericks challenged, but the call was confirmed. Kuzma missed the first free throw but swished the second.
&ldquo;I think there was some debate about whether he stepped out, whether he (was) fouled,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;Thankfully, fouled. Those types of situations happen fast. You&rsquo;ve got to make a split-second decision.&rdquo;
Doncic tried twice to pass to Spencer Dinwiddie out of a double team on the final possession. The Wizards knocked the first out of bounds, and former Maverick Delon Wright stole the second to seal the victory.
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&ldquo;Luka had the right intention, was making the right play,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;Delon just made a good play with his hands, something he&rsquo;s known for.&rdquo;
Kristaps Porzingis was out with an ankle injury in his first trip to Dallas since the Mavericks traded him to the Wizards last February for Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian, whose pairing with Doncic never worked the way Dallas envisioned, received light applause after a video tribute during the break between the first and second quarters.
It was Washington&rsquo;s first game since sending Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and draft picks. Nunn was available but didn&rsquo;t play.
The Wizards opened a five-game trip with a third consecutive victory while Dallas finished a 1-3 homestand with its eighth loss in 11 games.
Washington swept the two-game series for the second consecutive season after going 14 years without a sweep of Dallas.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to get excited about one performance. We&rsquo;ve got along road trip ahead,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It could be a catalyst for something, to be a little short-handed, able to compete on the road, an area which we&rsquo;ve struggled at times.&rdquo;
Bradley Beal scored 22 points with a 3-pointer that was one of three lead changes in the final three minutes. Deni Avdija had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwight Powell scored a season-high 22 points with nine rebounds for Dallas. Dinwiddie had 20 points and eight assists.
Josh Green made his first seven shots and finished with 16 points, the most for the Dallas guard in four games since returning from a 20-game absence with a right elbow sprain.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Daniel Gafford played 19 minutes before fouling out with 6:32 remaining, getting nine points with seven rebounds. ... Corey Kispert scored 14 points, Monte Morris had 13 and Wright had 10 points, six assists and three steals.
Mavericks: F Christian Wood missed his third game since breaking his left thumb in a loss to Atlanta. The team has said he would be re-evaluated this week. ... Dorian Finney-Smith scored 12 points.
MISSED &rsquo;EM BOTH
Porzingis also missed the first meeting against his former team in Washington, won by the Wizards 113-105. He was out with a left groin strain for that November game. He&rsquo;s listed as week-to-week after spraining his left ankle Saturday against Orlando.
UP NEXT
Wizards: All three Texas cities are part of the five-game trip, with Houston next to finish a back-to-back Wednesday. The Rockets swept the two-game set with Wizards last season. The San Antonio stop is after a trip to New Orleans.
Mavericks: A two-game trip starts Thursday in Phoenix, where Dallas blew a 22-point lead in the second half of a 107-105 loss in the season opener.
</div>

Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points, lifting the Washington Wizards to a 127-126 victory over Dallas Mavericks.

Kuzma FT lifts Wizards over Mavs 127-126 despite Doncic’s 41

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to produce with so much consistency that it causes boredom.
That's the only respect in which the two-time MVP has fallen shortly lately.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI/status/1610478762532954116">Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points with a series of thrilling dunks and drives</a> Tuesday as the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington 123-113 on Tuesday night, snapping the Wizards&rsquo; five-game winning streak. The spectacular forward also had 10 rebounds and seven assists to continue arguably the best stretch of his career.
&ldquo;I want to get in a position ... that my game is boring,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I just do what I do and people don't talk about it because it becomes boring &mdash; I do it every single night. That's what I want to do. I want other people to feel like my game is boring. But I don't get bored. The greats &mdash; the best players &mdash; never get bored. They go out there and they always give their best any given night.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo has at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in each of the last three games he's played. The two-time MVP sat out a 118-95 loss to the Wizards on Sunday because of a sore left knee.
The only other players in NBA history to have three straight performances of 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists are Elgin Baylor in 1961 and 1963, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963 and Russell Westbrook in 2016. The only other Bucks to score at least 40 points in three straight appearances are Flynn Robinson in February 1969 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972.
&ldquo;He's been kind of playing with this kind of determination, this kind of just willing us in games,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;Tonight we were able to win it. He's just been phenomenal.&rdquo;
Bucks center Brook Lopez is in his fifth season of playing alongside Antetokoumpo. The 7-footer couldn't recall a regular-season stretch in which Antetokounmpo has played better than this.
&ldquo;He's just constantly improving,&rdquo; said Lopez, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds. &ldquo;When you think where else can he go and how else can he improve, he just improves again. We're going to have to expand the English language in some way to come up with words (to describe him). I don't know if I've said that before, but I'm sure he's going to improve again. Who knows what he's going to do next. He's just so otherworldly.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo's previous career high was a 52-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 17, 2019. He just missed the single-game franchise scoring record owned by Michael Redd, who scored 57 points against the Utah Jazz in November 2006.
Washington&rsquo;s Bradley Beal returned after missing three games with a sore left hamstring, but he played just 13 minutes. Beal scored eight points before the hamstring issue prevented him from playing at all in the second half.
&ldquo;Same area,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "We just have to get it evaluated.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points for the Wizards, and Kyle Kuzma added 20.
Milwaukee's Bobby Portis had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday returned to action after missing three games with a non-COVID illness and scored six points in 19 minutes. Bucks forward Khris Middleton missed an eighth straight game with a sore right knee and also won&rsquo;t play Wednesday at Toronto.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Taj Gibson missed a third consecutive game with a sore left groin. ... Gaford had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. ... Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert had 12 points each.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game due to a non-COVID illness. ... Portis has four consecutive double-doubles. ... Grayson Allen shot 1 of 9 overall and 1 of 7 from 3-point range to continue his slump. Allen is 9 of 37 on 3-point attempts over his last four games. ... Antetokounmpo was 15 of 16 on free throws.
&nbsp;

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards 123-113.

Antetokounmpo has career-high 55 points; Bucks beat Wizards

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the short-handed Orlando Magic 119-100 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Kyle Kuzma added 23 points and Rui Hachimura had 16 points and seven rebounds. The Wizards played without star guard Bradley Beal for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring.
Franz Wagner had 28 points and eight assists for Orlando, and Paolo Banchero added 21 points. The Magic had only eight players available after suspensions by the NBA in the wake of an incident in Detroit on Wednesday night.
The Wizards overcame 26 turnovers with 56% shooting and a 53-35 rebounding advantage. The Magic have lost three straight after winning eight of nine.
Wagner scored eight points on a 16-0 run that put the Magic up 32-27 early in the second quarter. Prorzingis scored 15 points in the final 8:39 of the period, leaving Washington with a 56-47 lead at the break.
Two 3-pointers by Corey Kispert and three-point plays by Porzingis and Daniel Gafford helped the Wizards expand their lead to 25 in the first six minutes of the second half.
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Taj Gibson sat out the game with a groin injury. ... The Wizards have won six straight against Orlando.
Magic: The Magic played without C Mo Wagner, G Cole Anthony, C Mo Bamba, C Wendell Carter Jr., G R.J. Hampton and G Gary Harris, all of whom were suspended for their participation in an altercation at Detroit. Wagner also will miss Orlando's next game along with three other players.
&nbsp;

Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the Orlando Magic 119-100.

Porzingis, Wizards beat Magic 119-100 for 4th straight win

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Malik Beasley scored 25 points and Jordan Clarkson added 23 to power the Utah Jazz past the reeling Washington Wizards 120-112 on Thursday night.
&ldquo;I was attacking the hole and not settling for 3s,&rdquo; Beasley said. &ldquo;I think there are some times where I get complacent so I got to keep attacking downhill.&rdquo;
Beasley made six shots from inside the arc. He usually gets most of his points from beyond it.
Lauri Markkanen had 21 points and Collin Sexton returned from missing seven games with a right hamstring injury to finish with 18 while playing just 17 minutes due to a medical minutes restriction.
&ldquo;We knew the kind of energy he would bring and he&rsquo;s going to fire up everybody else up as well,&rdquo; Markkanen said of Sexton&rsquo;s return.
Bradley Beal scored 30 points and Kyle Kuzma had 21, but the Wizards lost for the 14th time in their last 16 games.
Beal scored Washington&rsquo;s first 12 points of the fourth quarter but the Wizards couldn&rsquo;t stop the Jazz. The Wizards fell to 2-8 when Beal, who didn't have a 3-pointer, is their leading scorer.
&ldquo;They were geared to get into Brad and make him play inside the line, tried to pressure his dribble,&rdquo; Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.
The Jazz scored 13 consecutive points bridging the third and fourth quarters, highlighted by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sexton and capped by Nickeil Walker-Alexander&rsquo;s 3 off an offensive rebound.
&ldquo;It was all about pushing the ball and getting stops. When we are running, we are at our best. When we have numbers, anybody can knock the shot down,&rdquo; Sexton said.
The surge resulted in the first double-digit lead by either team after 23 lead changes and 11 ties. The span was bolstered by tight defense and increased effort after three quarters of little resistance by the Jazz.
&ldquo;The guys buckled down and really committed to that end,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said.
The Wizards had lost 10 straight games before winning at Phoenix on Tuesday. Their defensive deficiencies returned as they allowed the Jazz to make 16-of-35 3-pointers, many of which were wide open due to slow rotations and weak closeouts.
Second-leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis missed his second game with a non-COVID illness but the Wizards still shot 56% from the field.
&ldquo;Even when we were healthy, we were .500,&rdquo; Kuzma said, not making excuses for the Wizards&rsquo; poor health.
Corey Kispert made a halfcourt shot at the last second to put the Wizards up 66-60. Due to a clock malfunction &mdash; the time kept running &mdash; the teams had to replay 0.4 seconds of the second quarter after halftime.
WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?
Even with Beasley&rsquo;s 25 points as a reserve, the team was talking about his work on the defensive end.
&ldquo;Malik did a great job of recognizing the times to fan back out to the shooters and it ended getting him some steals. It&rsquo;s something we work on a lot,&rdquo; Hardy said.
Beasley had four steals and forced some poor shots by the Wizards.
&ldquo;It was about being in the right spots &hellip; and keeping my hands active, knowing which guys are going to pass the ball and which guys won&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Beasley said.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Washington was called for goaltending on three shots in the first quarter. &hellip; Deni Avdija sat out with a sore back after playing in 114 consecutive games. &hellip; The Wizards went 17 for 24 in the second quarter and had 19 fast-break points to 3 for Utah in the first half.
Jazz: Kelly Olynyk missed his third game with a sprained left ankle. &hellip; Utah scored on nine straight possessions in the third quarter. &hellip; Walker Kessler had 12 points and 14 rebounds. &hellip; Utah went 20 for 21 from the free throw line.
&nbsp;

Malik Beasley scored 25 points and Jordan Clarkson added 23 to power the Utah Jazz past the reeling Washington Wizards 120-112.

Beasley, Clarkson lead Jazz to 120-112 victory over Wizards

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis scored 55 points on sizzling 22-of-30 shooting and added 17 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers over the Washington Wizards 130-119 Sunday night.
After scoring 44 points against Milwaukee in his previous game, Davis came close to his career-high of 59 against Detroit in 2016.
Davis was 2 of 3 on 3-pointers and made all nine of his foul shots. He scored 31 points in the second half.
LeBron James had 29 points as the Lakers won their fourth straight road game. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games while trying to extricate themselves from a 2-10 start.
Washington lost leading scorer and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to an undisclosed injury with 8:31 to play in the first quarter. Beal sat on the bench after an early substitution, talked with a trainer, then went to the locker room. He did not return.
Los Angeles led by 21 points in the first half. It was 85-56 early in the third quarter before the Wizards rallied within nine points in the fourth.
The 6-foot-10 Davis presented a rare match in wingspan for 7-3 Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis. Both have 7&ndash;foot-6 wingspans.
But Davis&rsquo; mobility and scoring from every level on the floor helped him control the matchup Sunday. Porzingis shot 11 of 25 for 27 points.
The Wizards were 5-for-25 from behind the 3-point line in the first half. Three of those five makes came from backup shooting guard Corey Kispert, who finished with 16 points.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma added 26 points for Washington before he fouled out.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James (ankle) was listed as questionable about 90 minutes before the game began, but was in the starting lineup. &hellip; Lakers coach Darvin Ham spent the 1998 season playing for the Wizards. His biggest memory from his lone season in Washington was the team finished 42-40 but missed the playoffs by a game. &ldquo;I wish we had the play-in system back then,&rdquo; Ham said.
Wizards: PG Delon Wright (hamstring) has &ldquo;ramped up&rdquo; his individual work, according to coach Wes Unseld Jr. Unseld said he expects Wright to participate in 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 during the Wizards&rsquo; upcoming West Coast trip. Wright has not played since Oct. 25. &hellip; F Rui Hachimura (ankle) is still experiencing soreness. Unseld said they will not rush him back.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Cleveland on Tuesday night.
Wizards: At Chicago on Wednesday night.

Anthony Davis scored 55 points on sizzling 22-of-30 shooting, leading the Lakers over the Wizards 130-119 on Sunday night.

Anthony Davis scores 55, leads Lakers over Wizards 130-119

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Terry Rozier scored 25 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 and the Charlotte Hornets held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by Bradley Beal and the Wizards to hand Washington its fifth loss in the last six games, 117-116 on Friday night.
P.J. Washington had 21 points and Mason Plumlee added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who won despite getting outscored 28-10 in the fourth quarter and failing to score in the final 3:45.
&ldquo;I don't know if I've seen a game where one team gets outscored 28-10 in the fourth quarter and still wins by one,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;I'd say that's not something, as crazy as our league is, that happens very often.&rdquo;
Washington trailed by 22 in the second half, but went with a bigger lineup which turned the game as the Wizards began dominating the offensive glass and getting second and third chances.
Beal was a big part of the comeback with 33 points, but the three-time All-Star turned the ball over twice and missed an open jumper in the final minute with Washington trailing by one. The Wizards came up empty on their final four possessions, costing them the game.
&ldquo;I turned the ball over twice, which can't happen,&rdquo; Beal said. &ldquo;I had a chance to win the game at the end and it didn't go down.&rdquo;
Beal said after the game he's already put the loss behind him.
&ldquo;I create amnesia pretty good, and rapidly, so this is behind me,&rdquo; Beal said. &ldquo;I wish I could have had it, we all do. But we competed and at the end day it's tough to climb out of those holes.&rdquo;
The Hornets put up a season-high 74 points in the first half, taking a 15-point lead into the locker room behind 16 points from Oubre and 15 from Rozier while shooting 52.9% from the field.
Charlotte stretched its lead to 22 in the third quarter but the Wizards mounted a huge fourth-quarter comeback to cut the lead to three with 4 minutes left when Beal knocked down a short pull-up jumper in the lane.
Beal later drove the lane for a reverse layup to trim the lead to one.
Trailing by one, the Wizards had chances on four separate possessions to take the lead in the final minute but failed to do so.
Porzingis missed an open jumper and Beal dribbled the ball off his leg on back-to-back possessions. Then Beal got stripped by Oubre with 35 seconds left.
Even with those mistakes, the Wizards still had a chance to win.
After a Hornets miss, Beal again tried to put the Wizards on top but missed an a 18-foot jumper. Washington corralled the rebound to seal the game with 0.2 seconds left, drawing a collective sigh of relief from the home crowd.
&ldquo;I think it's headed in the right direction and we're pretty happy,&rdquo; Washington said of Charlotte's third win in the last four games.
Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards. Corey Kispert added 14 points off the bench.
LIMITING KUZMA
Kyle Kuzma finished with 14 points for Washington. Kuzma had given the Hornets fits in the previous two meetings this season, scoring 28 points in a 108-100 road win and 20 points in a 106-102 home victory.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Shot 26 of 35 from the foul line. ... Outrebounded Charlotte 56-45.
Hornets: PG LaMelo Ball has missed 19 of 22 games this season due to ankle sprains. ... Plumlee, shooting left handed, was 7 of 9 from the foul line.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Hornets: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night.

Terry Rozier scored 25 points and the Hornets beat the Wizards 17-116 to hand Washington its fifth loss in the last six games.

Terry Rozier, Hornets hold on to beat Wizards 117-116

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma had 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, helping the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets 106-102 on Sunday night.
Bradley Beal scored 26 points, but wasn't on the floor for the final 9.8 seconds despite Washington being up just two points. He walked with a slight limp to the locker room before the game ended.
All five Washington starters scored in double figures. The Wizards have won six of seven.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Charlotte with 23 points. Gordon Hayward added 18 points. The Hornets have lost 11 of 12.
An 18-point third-quarter slog by Washington allowed Charlotte to take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Wizards&rsquo; offense declined from potent, to middling, to stifled in the first three quarters &mdash; they scored 35, 24, and 18 points from the first to the third periods.
But an eight-point burst from Kuzma helped the Wizards to a quick 88-81 lead to open the fourth. Washington&rsquo;s lead fluctuated throughout the quarter before it hung on after Terry Rozier cut the lead to two with 9.8 seconds to play.
Kristaps Porzingis and Corey Kispert each made two free throws to seal the game.
The Wizards&rsquo; three consecutive 3-pointers, two by Beal and one by Kispert, vaulted them in front 59-55 at the half. Beal led all scorers with 16 points &mdash; he was efficient scoring (7-for-10 shootin) and sloppy with the ball (five turnovers) in the first half.
Oubre's dunk off a baseline drive put Charlotte in front 49-46 and led to a Washington timeout. The Wizards obtained Oubre Jr. with a 2016 draft-day trade. He spent three-plus seasons in Washington before being traded to the Phoenix Suns.
Oubre twice yelled toward the Wizards&rsquo; bench after scoring in the first quarter Sunday.
TIP-INS
Hornets: PG LaMelo Ball (ankle) was out Sunday, as expected. Ball has played in just three of the Hornets&rsquo; 18 games this season. &hellip; PG Dennis Smith Jr. was available for the first time since Nov. 10 and entered the game at 6:18 of the first quarter.
Wizards: PG Monte Morris (ankle) and PF Rui Hachimura (ankle) were both out. Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Morris played through the ankle issue earlier in the season. Hachimura had a &ldquo;little tweak&rdquo; in the fourth quarter Friday. &hellip; PG Jordan Goodwin (knee soreness) returned to the lineup after missing Friday&rsquo;s game. &hellip; Washington signed G-League player Devon Dotson to a two-way contract Sunday.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Wizards: At Miami on Wednesday night.

Kyle Kuzma had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, helping the Wizards beat the Hornets 106-102 on Sunday night.

Kuzma's 28 points propel Wizards past Hornets 106-102

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and Deni Avdija added 21 to lead the Washington Wizards to their fourth straight victory, 102-92 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.
The Wizards swept a weekend back-to-back against Utah and Memphis, two of the Western Conference's top teams in the early going this season. Washington did that without Bradley Beal, who is still getting back into playing shape after going through health and safety protocols.
Memphis was missing key players as well, with Ja Morant out because of left ankle soreness and Desmond Bane unavailable because of right toe soreness.
&ldquo;That was a point of emphasis for us, that even though they have a couple guys out, this is one of those games you have to be careful," Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;They're going to play free and easy, they're going to play physical. They're going to play hard &mdash; guys who get more opportunities.&rdquo;
Dillon Brooks scored 19 points for the Grizzlies. Steven Adams contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;I'm proud of the way the guys fought,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;Wizards always had an answer for everything we had tonight.&rdquo;
Kyle Kuzma had nine points and 11 rebounds for Washington, which went on an 11-2 run near the end of the third quarter to extend what had been a one-point lead. The Wizards led 85-78 in the fourth when Will Barton dunked to push the advantage to nine. That was the start of an 11-4 spurt.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
GOODY BLOCK. THRILL DUNK. THAT'S JUST BEAUTIFUL BASKETBALL. <a href="https://t.co/dDXnnpjSAc">pic.twitter.com/dDXnnpjSAc</a>
&mdash; Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1591959296602144770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The Wizards and Grizzlies split two games a week apart. Memphis <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-bradley-beal-e3422f2cd105216231c1fc8343de5c41" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won 103-97</a> at home the previous Sunday with Bane and Morant combining for 51 points. That was Washington's last game before the beginning of this winning streak.
FROM DEEP
Washington went 19 of 40 from 3-point range, with Porzingis making a team-high six. Jordan Goodwin went 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and finished with 10 points.
Memphis was just 9 of 28 from long range.
Porzingis made five of his 3s during a 19-point first half.
&ldquo;I think he likes the way we play. It kind of fits his style of game,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;When we space the floor correctly, and when we do move the ball, who wouldn't want to play that way?&rdquo;
BIG NIGHT
Avdija equaled his career high in scoring.
&ldquo;Just confidence,&rdquo; teammate Monte Morris said. &ldquo;When you've got confidence, and you've got, already, hoop game on you, it's just going to take your talent and your level to another level, and I think these last few games, he's stepping up now in shots. He's not second guessing it. He's shooting his shot, and he's also defending.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis was also without Jaren Jackson Jr. (right foot), Ziaire Williams (right knee) and Danny Green (left knee). ... Tyus Jones scored 17 points and Santi Aldama added 15.
Wizards: Delon Wright (right hamstring) and Taj Gibson (cervical soreness) were not available. ... Corey Kispert scored 12 points and Monte Morris had 10.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: At New Orleans on Tuesday night.
Wizards: Host Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and Deni Avdija added 21 to beat the Grizzlies 102-92 and give the Wizards their fourth-straight win.

Wizards earn fourth-straight victory, beat Grizzlies 102-92

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off a nice win at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.

Kevin Durant had 28 points and the Nets won in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Wizards.