Rui Hachimura contributed a season-high 23 points Thursday to help the Washington Wizards defeat the Dallas Mavericks 113-105.
Kyle Kuzma led all scorers with 36 points for the Wizards, who held NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic to a relatively quiet 22 at Capital One Arena.
Moved to the second unit by head coach Wes Unseld Jr. this season, Hachimura made the most of his 26 minutes off the bench, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from deep.
The fourth-year forward also grabbed eight rebounds and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Hachimura said he had continually looked to pressure the Dallas defense on the way to his third straight double-digit scoring game and 10th for the season.
"I'm just trying to find my spot in the second unit," he said. "We're a little bit struggling offensively...I was just trying to stay aggressive and make plays."
The 24-year-old Toyama Prefecture native also played a part slowing down Slovenian superstar Doncic, who scored far below his season average of 33.6 points per game.
"I think we were able to frustrate Luka," Hachimura said.
Guard Spencer Dinwiddie had a team-high 33 for the Mavs, who are seventh in the NBA's Western Conference at 6-5. The 6-6 Wizards are sixth in the Eastern Conference following the win, which marked the start of a six-game home stand in Washington
