Sacramento Kings lose in shocking fashion to Kyle Kuzma and Washington Wizards: Fall to play-in spot

It’s March Madness season, and there was an upset in the NBA on Thursday. The Washington Wizards shocked the basketball world and defeated the Sacramento Kings 109-102 at Capital One Arena behind Kyle Kuzma’s big scoring night.

The Kings are fighting for a top 6 seed in the competitive Western Conference to avoid the play-in, and to accomplish that they need to take care of business against the winnable teams. However, that was not the case tonight as Sacramento fell short and now drop in the standings. In such a tight race where each seed is determined by less than a game, every win matters and they couldn’t get the job done tonight.

De’Aaron Fox had a difficult shooting night (10/30 from the field) but he was able to salvage his night on the defensive side. He finished with 25 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, and 6 steals. Domantas Sabonis recorded 14 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, but also committed 6 turnovers. Malik Monk scored 20 points off the bench while Keegan Murray had 16 points.

Kyle Kuzma led the way for the Wizards in this win. He scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Deni Avdija finished with 17 points, 9 boards, and 5 assists while Corey Kispert had 15 points. Jordan Poole got another start and recorded 14 points with 3 steals while Richaun Holmes dominated the glad as he grabbed 16 rebounds.

Sacramento drops to 40-29 with this loss and is on the verge of falling into the play-in spot. They are currently tied with the Suns and Mavs for the 6th seed, but both of those teams are playing tonight and if either of them win, the Kings will fall out of the top 6. This is a game that Sactown wishes they could have back, but all that can be done now is focusing on the remaining games on the schedule. Next up will be a matchup against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

Washington improved to 12-58 with this win. They still own the worst record in the NBA but this victory must have felt good and instilled confidence in this squad. While they may not have anything to play for this season, every game can be looked at as a chance to spoil another teams playoff chances. This win snaps a 5-game losing streak and their next matchup will be on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors.