Jordan Poole led six scorers in double figures with 27 points, Corey Kispert added 22 off the bench and the Washington Wizards beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 113-106 on Saturday night to win their home opener.
Washington never trailed after taking the lead with just over 4 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter, then built its advantage to as many as 25 points in third before Memphis battled back.
The Grizzlies, looking to avoid starting the season with a third straight loss, cut the deficit down to six points with 1:50 left in the game.
Back-to-back baskets by Kyle Kuzma — part of his 21 points — pushed the Washington lead to 10 and put the game out of reach for the visitors.
Kuzma also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. The Wizards got another double-double from Daniel Gafford, who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 26 points and went 4-for-10 from beyond the 3-point arc. David Roddy scored 14 points off the Memphis bench.
Ziaire Williams recorded a double-double for Memphis with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Williams shot 6-for-14 from the floor, while his Grizzlies frontcourt mates Jaren Jackson Jr. went 4-for-12 for 16 points and Xavier Tillman shot 3-for-7 en route to eight points.
Memphis shot 39 of 91 (42.9 percent) from the floor overall. Washington was not much better at 40 of 93 (43 percent), but the Wizards went 17-for-22 from the free-throw line compared to the Grizzlies’ 9-for-9 showing at the charity stripe.
Memphis outshot Washington from 3-point range, going 19-for-47 to the Wizards’ 16-for-46.
Nine different Grizzlies made at least one 3-pointer. Washington’s 16 successful attempts from long range came primarily from Poole, who went 4-for-12, Kispert, who shot 5-for-10, and Tyus Jones (4 of 8).
Jones finished with 14 points. Deni Avdija added 10 points and six boards for Washington.
The Wizards exploded for 37 points in the second quarter, allowing them to take a 62-46 lead into the break before continuing to pour it on in the third.
Kuzma converted a three-point play just 2:37 into the third, giving Washington its 25-point advantage.
–Field Level Media
