Jordan Poole led all scorers with 34 points to lead the Washington Wizards past the Toronto Raptors 118-117 on Saturday in a game between two teams hoping for a high pick in this summer's NBA Draft.
Bilal Coulibaly and rookie Alex Sarr each had a double-double as Washington (13-49) won back-to-back games. Coulibaly finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Sarr had 10 points and pulled down 14 boards.
All five of the Wizards starters were on the court in the final two minutes of play as they tried to hold on to their slim lead.
RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 23 points and nine rebounds as Toronto (21-43) had its three-game win streak snapped. Scottie Barnes added 18 points.
Jakob Poeltl had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes of play as Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic limited the centre's playing time.
Barrett played only 28 minutes and Barnes 27.
Toronto was without several key players, including Immanuel Quickley (rest), Gradey Dick (right knee bone bruise), Ochai Agbaji (left ankle sprain), Ja'Kobe Walter (right hip flexor), and Jonathan Mogbo (nasal fracture).
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TAKEAWAYS
Wizards: Poeltl was giving Washington fits, especially during a Toronto comeback early in the fourth quarter, but when he was benched for the rest of the night Washington was able to take advantage.
Raptors: A day after Toronto played stifling defence against the Utah Jazz for a 118-109 victory, the Raptors were much sloppier. That included 15 turnovers leading to 16 points. Although they were 40 for 95 (42.1 per cent) on field goals, they struggled to finish around the rim, especially in the second and third quarters as Washington pulled ahead.
KEY MOMENT
Rookie guard Jamal Shead was one of two Toronto starters still playing in the dying minutes of the game. His teammates rushed the court after he appeared to hit a buzzer-beating hook shot to give the Raptors a 119-118 win. However, a video review found that the ball was still in his hand when the buzzer sounded, giving Washington the win.
KEY STAT
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-102 in another matchup of NBA Draft lottery contenders earlier Saturday. That briefly tied Brooklyn and Toronto for the fifth-best odds to win the first overall pick in this summer's stacked draft. The Raptors loss, however, moved them back into sole possession of the fifth-worst record in the NBA and a 10.5 per cent chance of drafting No. 1.
Even with the win, Washington has the worst record in the NBA with a 52.1 per cent chance of earning a top-4 pick and a 14 per cent chance at first overall.
UP NEXT
The Raptors and Wizards will do it all over again at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2025.
