Washington Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe speaks often of his team’s resilience. He’s usually talking about their ability to withstand a blitz from an opponent and still fight until the final whistle, but it’s also true that it takes a special fortitude to compete on a team with a chance to lose 70 games and not go at least a little bit batty through the course of the season.

The Wizards probably would rather have the ability to keep a lead than be so adept at fighting back, but their well-honed skill paid off in a big way Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. They lost commanding, double-digit leads — twice — before storming back and finally putting the Kings away, 109-102, at Capital One Arena.

“Our guys answered the bell and were resilient,” Keefe said.

Resilient? Yes. But as Kyle Kuzma said, it also was one of the smarter games the Wizards (12-58) played down the stretch all season because of the offensive adjustments they were able to make.

Kuzma led with 31 points, six rebounds and five assists for his 11th game with at least 30 points. Deni Avdija had 17 points and nine assists, and Corey Kispert added 15 points.

Jordan Poole had 14 points, but it was his activity on offense — and a few key defensive moments against De’Aaron Fox late — that benefited the Wizards more than his scoring.

Even when they faltered on defense, the Wizards responded well to the Kings’ different coverages. They had enough energy late to play with both physical presence and flair, which is a feat considering they had seven players on the inactive list again Thursday.

“One of the things we talked about is sometimes you forget how you got the lead,” Keefe said. “… We got a little stagnant, wanted to get back to playing with more pace. … We learned throughout the game what got us there, and that was great.”

The Kings were down a man, too, after the team announced sharpshooter Kevin Huerter dislocated his left shoulder and suffered a tear in his labrum in Monday’s win over Memphis. Their offense suffered for it and they started 0 for 11 from the three-point line while the Wizards went to work building a 19-point lead midway through the second quarter before easing up and slowing their pace. The Kings sensed their opportunity and closed the half on a 18-2 run to tie the game just before the end of the half.

The third quarter felt like déjà vu: Washington worked its way to a 16-point lead, only to let up and allow Sacramento to claw back.

It was a five-point game with less than five minutes to play when the Kings got the ball to Domantas Sabonis, who kicked it out to Davion Mitchell for a three-pointer. Former King Richaun Holmes, who had a game-high 16 rebounds, hit a layup on the other end, then the Wizards forced a turnover out of Sabonis.

Holmes found a driving Kispert on the next play for a finger roll while falling away from the basket that was so pretty it had Kuzma high-stepping down the court in celebration. The Wizards were up 103-97 and in the driver’s seat after that, in part because they had wrapped up the Kings’ stars earlier in the night.

Fox, their leading scorer, had to labor for his 25 points, and Malik Monk had 20. Sabonis had a relatively quiet night with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Crucially, just two of those were offensive rebounds.

“Good team win,” Kuzma said. “... It’s all about building habits.”

Here’s what else to know about the Wizards’ win:

Road to recovery

Avdija and Kuzma being back in action trimmed the Wizards’ injury report a bit Thursday, but six players were still out of commission. Starters Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones were both still out with back injuries listed as lumbosacral sprains, and Landry Shamet (calf strain) and Eugene Omoruyi (ankle sprain) joined them on the bench. Bilal Coulibaly (wrist fracture) and Isaiah Livers (hip inflammation) are out for the season. Tristan Vukcevic wasn’t injured but remains on the inactive list.

Holmes’s hot start

Holmes feasted on the Kings’ slow start on offense to collect eight rebounds in the first quarter and help set the tone early for the Wizards. His 16 rebounds are the most he has had in a game since the 2021-22 season.

“Richaun was huge. He was huge for us all night,” Kuzma said. “I’m sure he really wanted this win, obviously, playing in Sac, and we really just played off his fierceness tonight.”

Holmes helped the Wizards outrebound the Kings 45-37.