NBA: Jordan Poole helps Wizards beat slumping Kings

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) reacts to making a three point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Jordan Poole scored 23 points, and JT Thor sank a crucial 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, lifting the host Washington Wizards to a 116-111 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA on Wednesday.

Poole made 8 of 14 shots from the floor to help the Wizards (17-59) snap a three-game losing streak. The win also avenged Washington’s 123-100 setback in Sacramento on Jan. 19.

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Wizards rookies AJ Johnson, Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr enjoyed successful outings. Johnson scored 19 points, Carrington sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 19-point performance and Sarr finished with 15 points.

Tristan Vukcevic added 17 points off the bench for Washington, which shot a robust 51.2 percent from the floor.

Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan recorded 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 16 boards and seven assists.

Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray also scored 18 points each for the Kings (36-40), who have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight games.

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Sacramento trimmed a 14-point deficit to 111-109 after DeRozan converted a three-point play with 55.1 seconds to play. Thor, however, used a ball fake to create some space before calmly sinking a 3-pointer with 40.0 seconds remaining for his only points of the night.

Carrington added a pair of free throws with 28.0 seconds left to essentially seal the win.

Murray made his second 3-pointer to begin the third and give Sacramento a 60-59 lead before Washington went on a 32-17 run to end the quarter. Carrington converted four times from beyond the arc, including twice during the final minute of the quarter to stake the Wizards to a 91-77 advantage.

LaVine sank a pair of free throws to forge a tie at 42 before Gill drained a 3-pointer to ignite Washington’s 11-0 run. Sacramento, however, responded with a flourish, as Malik Monk scored four of the team’s 10 straight points before Poole split the defense for a layup just before the buzzer to give the Wizards a 55-52 lead at halftime. –Field Level Media