Their efforts to limit Avdija, the ninth selection in the 2020 draft who has excelled in a more prominent position, were also met with difficulties.___
Furthermore, apart from Poole’s late input, Kuzma also picked up momentum and made 4 baskets out of 6 attempts in the remaining minutes. This was after struggling earlier on with only 3 successful shots out of 12, but he ultimately ended with a total of 16 points.
The Wizards avoided dropping below Detroit for the lowest record in the NBA by winning two consecutive games for only the third time this season.
“I have faith in him, so we will be relying on him more to control the ball,” stated Keefe. “His rebounding also plays a role: it allows him to push the pace and create opportunities. His impressive skill of driving towards the basket not only benefits himself, but also his teammates.”
On Monday night, the Wizards will play against the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan Poole, who led the team with 18 points, acknowledged that the victory was a positive outcome. He noted that the game was hard-fought and both teams performed well throughout. While both sides faced challenges at various points, they persevered and remained united.
Keefe, the interim coach of the Wizards, stated, “This is a prime example of what great players do. They persist and overcome. Although he initially struggled with shots that he normally makes, he didn’t give up. Instead, he drove to the basket and delivered crucial plays to help our team.”
Gary Trent Jr. led the Raptors with 31 points, rookie Gradey Dick scored 17 and Kelly Olynyk had 14 points and 10 assists.
Stephen Whyno is the author of this article as an AP Sports Writer.
On Saturday night, Deni Avdija had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Kyle Kuzma stepped up in the final moments to make crucial baskets and lead the Washington Wizards to a 112-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors. This loss marks the Raptors’ 10th consecutive defeat.
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At the end of the game, Bruce Brown unsuccessfully tried to score a 3-point shot, causing the Raptors to lose once again since March 3 due to a lack of players.
In his first game with Washington, Tristan Vukcevic, who was selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, only played for three minutes and managed to grab one rebound. He recently signed a two-year contract. Marvin Bagley III also returned to the team’s lineup after sitting out for the last nine games due to lower back spasms. He came off the bench and scored 10 points.
Richaun Holmes grabbed the most rebounds in the game, a total of 14 out of the Wizards’ 55, compared to Toronto’s 42. He also scored 15 points.
According to Rajakovic, we had a difficult time with retrieving the ball. They were able to make some crucial shots and difficult, challenged shots. However, the main distinguishing factor in tonight’s game was our performance in rebounding.
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This game presented a prime opportunity for them to break their current losing streak, which has been their longest of the season. They had a strong chance after reducing their turnovers, which had caused problems in their previous home game against Oklahoma City. However, despite having only eight healthy players due to injuries to their top three scorers, Toronto made costly errors and faltered in the latter part of the game, despite having a lead of 11 points at one point.
The Monday night game will feature the Raptors hosting the Brooklyn Nets.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic commented on the game, stating that there was a lot of determination and effort from the team. However, they were unable to convert on various scoring opportunities such as layups, open shots, and a dunk. It was clear that the players were eager to succeed but unfortunately, things did not go their way during the game.