Bench unit seizes victory. Wizards starters sidelined in the final quarter, yet the reserves delivered a win against the Kings.
With Washington and Sacramento in a tight contest in the fourth quarter, Brian Keefe made an atypical decision.
He chose to leave his entire all-bench lineup in to close out the game’s final minutes. A lineup consisting of Sharife Cooper, AJ Johnson, Anthony Gil, Skal Labissiere, and Will Riley, played the late minutes.
Washington benched its starters for the final 16 minutes of the game.
With both teams presented an opportunity to move into sole possession of the NBA’s worst record, the Kings came up short with their top scorers on the floor, as Washington pulled through with a 116-112 win.
Riley drained a late three to put the Wizards ahead for good. He finished with 18 points on four made threes to go with six rebounds and six assists - all career-highs.
The battle of two twelve-win teams became even less compelling before the opening tip when Alex Sarr and Domantas Sabonis were both ruled out. Sabonis was on the floor for his pregame shootaround, but was eventually ruled out one hour before tip.
After a slow Washington start, it got plenty of production to take the lead. Sacramento only made four of its first 21 shots from the field. It was bad basketball overall. Additionally, the Kings turned it over six times in the opening corner.
Washington's run stretched to 14-0 at one point, and they closed the final seven minutes of the quarter, only allowing 3 points. Washington played its bench tons, giving substantial looks for Johnson and Riley.
Riley got going from downtown in the second quarter, continuing a recent run of efficient outside shooting. Johnson made a few drives to the bucket and knocked down a triple, raising his total to nine points.
Zach LaVine got going for the Kings, helping them get back into the game late in the first half. He knocked down three triples in a row, capping off a 19-6 run. LaVine went 4/5 from downtown in the second quarter. LaVine scored 22 in the first half. Sacramento's deficit at halftime was only five after once trailing by 17.
Sacramento raised its field goal percentage to 35% by the break, which is low, but it shot an impressive 46% from behind the arc.
The Wizards used an impressive sequence in the third quarter to get their lead back to double-digits. They hit threes on three straight possessions, and a Marvin Bagley III block in the middle made it all possible.
Every time the Kings pushed back with a run, the Wizards punched back. Johnson continued his impressive night with a late run in the third quarter. The Wizards led by six entering the final quarter.
The Kings picked up the pace to begin the fourth, and eventually grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes.
Washington closed the game out with the bench playing the final six minutes of the game. Despite Sacramento playing LaVine and Damar DeRozan in the final minutes, it could not pull away.
Riley drained a three to give the Wizards the lead with 2 minutes to play, and they never gave up that lead.
Washington’s win ties them for the NBA’s fourth worst record. The Kings now hold sole possession of the top position in the NBA’s tank standings.
Washington will close out its five-game home stand when they host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night for a 7 PM tipoff.