Kyle Kuzma had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists and the Washington Wizards never trailed while posting a 118-117 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Tyus Jones made five 3-pointers and scored 24 points while Daniel Gafford contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals before fouling out for the Wizards. It was just the third victory in 20 games for Washington.
Deni Avdija had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Jordan Poole registered 13 points and six assists for the Wizards, who led by 13 midway through the fourth quarter.
Anfernee Simons scored a season-best 41 points for Portland, which lost for the eighth time in nine games. Simons, who made a season-high seven 3-pointers, tallied 22 points in the final quarter.
Deandre Ayton recorded 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Jerami Grant had 20 points for Portland, but his left-handed runner was off the mark as time expired.
Kuzma rebounded his own miss and put in the hoop to give Washington a 116-114 lead with 1:23 remaining.
Grant split two free throws with 31 seconds left, and Kuzma twice split two free throws to leave Washington ahead 118-115 with 12.1 seconds left. Simons drove for a dunk to make it a one-point game with 7.6 seconds remaining.
A Kuzma turnover gave Portland its final chance.
The Wizards shot 50 percent from the field, including 12 of 30 (40 percent) from 3-point range.
Portland made 45.3 percent of its attempts and was 14 of 30 (46.7 percent) from behind the arc. Duop Reath added 10 points for the Trail Blazers.
Jones’ basket with 6:04 to play gave Washington a 110-97 lead before the Trail Blazers rattled off the next 11 points.
Simons scored the last five on a 3-pointer and a fastbreak dunk to bring Portland within two points with 3:57 left.
Simons later drained a 3-pointer to tie it at 114 with 1:43 remaining.
The Wizards started the game strong with eight straight points. Just three minutes later, Kuzma drilled a 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 burst and made it 20-7.
Kuzma knocked down another trey to make it 31-15 with 2:37 left in the opening period. Portland finished the quarter with a 9-2 run to trail 33-24.
The Wizards led 67-54 at the break. Later, Danilo Gallinari knocked down a trey as Wizards took a 93-80 lead into the final stanza.
–Field Level Media
