The Charlotte Hornets played strong defense and got their fourth straight win, beating the Washington Wizards 97-87 on Wednesday night. This victory ended Washington’s five game winning streak after the Hornets put a halt on the Golden State Warriors seven-game run on Sunday.
In the first half, both teams did not play their best offensively. They could not put together consecutive baskets or make consistent stops. It was very similar to the Warriors game. The Hornets played the first 24 minutes without attempting a foul shot.
Neither team managed much separation in a first quarter that featured seven lead changes and three ties. The only Wizard player that the Hornets could not contain was big man Daniel Gafford. He converted his first four shots and scored eight of the Wizards’ first 13 points of the game. After the Hornets hit consecutive 3-pointers, the Wizards went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-20 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter. Washington had a five point lead at the end of the first quarter 29-24.
The Wizards offense tempered in the second quarter. They shot 33% from the field and 0-10 from 3-point range. Washington played well enough defensively to keep a six point lead 51-45 going into the locker room.
The Wizards led by as many as nine to start the second half, but on an extended Charlotte 16-2 run, highlighted by a pair of threes from Jalen McDaniels, gave the Hornets a five point lead, 68-63 with just under 4 minutes to go in the third quarter. The Hornets earned their first free throws of the game at the 6:48 mark of the third quarter.
The Wizards went without a basket for over three and a half minutes before a dunk by power forward Montrezl Harrell stopped the Hornets run. Charlotte kept coming, with Kelly Oubre Jr. hitting back-to-back shots from downtown along with McDaniels, to give the Hornets the spark they needed. Charlotte had a 75-65 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Hornets got a couple of early baskets in the fourth quarter from McDaniels and Terry Rozier, after which, the Wizards made a small run forcing Hornets coach James Borrego to call a timeout. The timeout seemed to motivate the Hornets, who increased their lead back to double figures.
Rozier got going with some mid-range jump shots. The Wizards’ struggle from downtown continued with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope taking a careless LaMelo Ball pass, but missed a wide-open 3-point shot with no Hornets even close to him.
After a few minutes elapsed, Ball connected with Rozier with a cross court pass for a dagger shot from beyond the arc. The three gave the Hornets a 13-point lead with just over one minute left in the game.
“After the first quarter, we locked it in on defense and that got us going,” Bridges said. “As long as we stay focused, do what we need to do on defense, we have a great chance of winning every night.”
It was a balanced effort for the Hornets. Rozier led six Hornets in double figures with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Miles Bridges had a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 14 points and Jalen McDaniels scored 11 points, both off the bench. Mason Plumlee scored 11 points, had 13 rebounds and 2 assists. LaMelo Ball had another double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 assists.
Bradley Beal had a game high 24 points for the Wizards. Daniel Gafford added 20 points and Montrezl Harrell scored 15 points.
The Wizards face the Miami Heat on Friday night. The Hornets host the Indiana Pacers on Friday night also.
© Copyright - 730 The Game ESPN