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Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117

Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117 | iNFOnews.ca
Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) goes up to shoot against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyshawn George scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and the last-place Washington Wizards beat the struggling Toronto Raptors 138-117 on Friday night.

CJ McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly each added 21 points to help the Wizards to their highest-scoring performance of the season. The Raptors owned the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating entering Friday.

Washington halted a four-game home losing streak but still has the NBA’s worst record (6-23). The Wizards shot 59.3 per cent (54 of 91) as a team, outrebounded the Raptors 46-33 and outscored the visitors 36-17 in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and Immanuel Quickley added 25 for Toronto, which has lost nine of 13.

Sandro Mamukelashvili had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who played without starters RJ Barrett (knee sprain) and Jakob Poetl (back strain).

Toronto closed an 11-point halftime deficit to two by the end of the third quarter before succumbing to Washington’s late onslaught.

Justin Champagnie and Bub Carrington sank consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the Wizards’ lead to 10 points with 10:08 to play. Later, McCollum and Carrington hit 3s sandwiched around George’s running layup in a spurt that extended it to 120-104.

Coulibaly’s dunk in transition with 3:50 remaining made it a 20-point game for the first time.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Begin a five-game homestand Sunday against the Golden State Warriors.

Wizards: Continue their homestand Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

___

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117 | iNFOnews.ca
Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) goes up to shoot against Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117 | iNFOnews.ca
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) passes the ball against Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117 | iNFOnews.ca
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) shoots against Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Kyshawn George scores 23 points as lowly Wizards whip sluggish Raptors 138-117 | iNFOnews.ca
Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) goes to the basket against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4), guard Ochai Agbaji (30) and guard Immanuel Quickley, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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The Associated Press

Ian Nicholas Quillen

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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