With 5:47 remaining, the Washington Wizards were poised for their third win. Then they didn't score another point.
The Toronto Raptors ended the game on a 21-1 run to defeat Washington Wizards by 4??
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) November 14, 2023
Wizards had the lead 106-90 with 7:25 to go. They lost 111-107.
Brutal.
When rookie Bilal Coulibaly scored with 7:25 remaining, it gave Washington a 106-90 lead. But it would be the last made basket by the Wizards.
Kyle Kuzma made one of two free throws with 5:47 left, and Washington never scored again on the way to an 111-107 defeat.
Kuzma was a big reason for Monday's collapse. He ran into the backcourt to encourage his coaches to challenge an out-of-bounds call that went Toronto's way, but the Raptors simply inbounded the ball and scored easily playing five-on-four.
The Wizards were up by 10 with 5:12 remaining and Kyle Kuzma wanted to challenge an out of bounds call on the Raptors, but they took advantage of the 5-on-4 and it resulted in a Scottie Barnes layup. pic.twitter.com/stxULX4H2E
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 14, 2023
While Kuzma scored 34 points, he also had six turnovers, including two in the final 6.1 seconds. Jordan Poole wasn't much better down the stretch, missing all three of his shots and committing two fouls in the final minutes.
After the last miss, Pascal Siakam came down and hit the go-ahead basket, giving him 39 points on the night.
PASCAL SIAKAM FOR THE LEAD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 14, 2023
Toronto is on a 19-1 run
pic.twitter.com/BLcN5L9wdt
It's the third game in a row that Washington has blown a late lead. Sunday in Brooklyn, the Wizards had a five-point lead with 4:08 remaining, before the Nets outscored them 15-2 the rest of the way. Friday, Washington led by double-digits early in the fourth quarter before losing 124-117.
The good news is that the Wizards are taking big leads late in games. The bad news is that they're losing those leads in embarrassing fashion. They're showing they've earned their 2-8 record.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!