The Washington Wizards edged the Sacramento Kings 116-112 on Sunday night at Capital One Arena, snapping a matchup between the NBA’s two last-place teams with a late surge powered by their reserves.
Rookie Will Riley delivered a season-high 18 points and drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:07 remaining, capping a decisive fourth-quarter response after Sacramento briefly took control.
AJ Johnson added 17 points off the bench, while Bilal Coulibaly and Marvin Bagley III finished with 15 apiece for Washington, which received a dominant contribution from its second unit.
The Wizards outscored the Kings 61-20 in bench points, a margin that defined the game and allowed Washington to overcome limited production from several starters.
Riley, 19, scored eight points in a span of 3:13 after DeMar DeRozan fueled a 12-3 Sacramento run that gave the visitors a 101-98 lead with 5:20 left.
Brian Keefe closed the game with an unconventional lineup, featuring four players who have spent time in the G League this season, including Riley, Johnson, Skal Labissiere, and Sharife Cooper.
Cooper’s tip-in with 37.2 seconds left extended the Wizards’ lead to 115-110, effectively sealing the outcome after Riley’s late shooting flipped the momentum.
Labissiere finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Anthony Gill logged a season-high 27 minutes but went scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.
Washington shot 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range, finishing with 31 assists on 46 made baskets and committing 17 turnovers.
The victory marked Washington’s third win in four games after a nine-game losing streak, moving the club one-half game ahead of Indiana at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Sacramento leaned heavily on its veteran scorers, with Zach LaVine posting 35 points on 13-of-26 shooting and DeRozan adding 32 points on 10-of-16 from the field.
Maxime Raynaud contributed 14 points and six rebounds, but no other Kings player scored more than six, highlighting the lack of offensive depth during the loss.
The Kings shot 46 percent overall and went 26-of-29 from the free-throw line, but struggled from beyond the arc at 8-of-21 and recorded only 21 assists as a team.
The Kings will return home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, while Washington stays in the nation’s capital to face the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
